Tima and Atem
by Tima Yami's wife
Summary: [AtemOC] Atem meets a girl one day and becomes fast friends with her. As he learns more about her, his feelings for her grow. But little does he know that their journey together will be far from easy in the past, present, and future.
1. The day they met

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 1: The day they met

The sun was just reaching its noon position. The heat was unbearable in the poor section of Egypt. One part of the town, a lone boy dressed in rags was walking down the street. His star-shaped, black hair with red tips was covered with spikes of golden hair. Some of the hair covered parts of his face. Prince Atem was walking around with a sad look on his face instead of the usually smug that he wore. He was walking around looking for someplace to run, which was why he was wearing rags. He didn't want to be recognized by anyone.

Suddenly, for no reason, he started yelling out loud to no one. "I hate this! I hate being a prince and I hate all the classes! The only two classes that are worth going to are the history of the monsters of the desert and sword play! But everything else is so—oof!"

He stopped suddenly because he had crashed into a young girl whose arms were full with food. They both crashed to the ground and Atem got up first. After brushing himself off, he took a good look at the girl who lay on the ground. She was a little knocked out from the impact. She had brown, curly hair that looked like it went down to her waist.

She had the best dress on he had ever seen. It looked liked it was made of silk, which was surprising since she was someone from the lowest class. As Atem bent down to help her up, he noticed something. Around her neck was a beautiful stone necklace that was made of stones that he only heard about from far away travelers. The stones were red in color and shined beautifully, causing her face to light up red.

As he touched one of her stones, she swatted his hand away. She sat up and starting yelling at him. "Watch where you're going! Don't you know better or are you just blind or some…thing." She stopped when she got a good look at who the boy was. Recognizing him, she blushed, covered her mouth with one hand, got down on one knee and said, "Please forgive me, Prince. I did not recognize you."

Atem was a little surprised at this reaction. The girl seemed to be waiting for him to punish her. Smiling a little, he helped her up. "You're pretty cute. I'm sorry I crashed into you. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was walking. I just had to get away from my life."

The girl looked astonished. "Why would you want to do that?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's my whole life and all the requirements I have to know before I become Pharaoh. It's just too overwhelming."

For a few minutes, both of them didn't know what to say. Finally, the young girl broke the silence. "I'm sorry for acting that way when I bumped into you. It's just…" she giggled a little, "…the last time I bumped into someone who had something to do with the Royal family, I mouthed off to him and got my family in big trouble."

The two children laughed a little and then just stood there for a while, waiting for the other one to say something. Finally, feeling very awkward, Atem said, "What's your name?"

The girl smiled and said, "My name is Tima. Wonderful to meet you, your highness." With that, she curtsied.

Atem was taken aback when he saw this. Most lower class people didn't have such beautiful manners like she did. "Where did you learn to behave like this?" he asked with his familiar smirk on his face. "I've never seen someone my age act like this before."

"Well, I learned it from my Mother and sister. They are pretty strict when it comes to manners and that sort of thing. Even though it annoys the heck out of me." Realizing what she just said, she covered her mouth again and sweatdropped. "Sorry. I'm always like this. My sister says it's my motto; 'always speak your mind, whether it gets you in trouble or not.'"

They started to laugh loudly when Tima finally noticed the food on the ground. "Oh no! I wrecked the food! Oh…and tonight's my turn to make dinner. Darn!"

"Would it help if I bought the food for you and make it go three times as fast?" Atem asked. "It's the least I can do for doing this."

Tima looked at the prince and blushed. "Um, if it's not too much trouble for you…sure, I would like that."

"OK let's go," Atem said and reached his hand out. Tima took his hand and they walked toward the market area.

On the way there, Atem brought up the topic of her necklace and clothing. "Forgive me for being blunt…but how come you're wearing a silk dress instead of rags and have a ruby necklace?"

Tima blushed again before answering. "Well…I'm the youngest in my family and Mother loves me more than life itself. So she vowed to get me nothing but the best of what life had to offer. The money to buy the silk for my dress was saved up for many years until we had the right amount. My necklace, I've had it since birth but I don't know how she got it. She just told me when I asked her that she just found it but I don't believe that."

Atem tried hard not to laugh. "Yeah right. Anyone who would lose something like that would go ballistic. Even so, all the people who saw it would have picked it up and turned it to the palace."

Tima just grinned and held the necklace out. "Well…I say if my Mom's right, that she just found it one day…too bad for who had it before! It belongs to me now! You know what they say, 'finders' keeper, losers' weepers!'"

The whole time they were in the market, Atem and Tima kept getting to know each other better. By the time they got to Tima's house, they knew just about everything about each other. When Tima got home, Atem was about to be on his way to his home when Tima stopped him. "Would you like to meet my family?"

Atem smiled and nodded. So Tima led him inside and introduced him to everyone. Her Mother, Manama, was a beautiful woman in her early twenties. She had dark brown eyes, an average figure, and curly hair just like Tima, only hers was a dirty blond. She obliviously loved Tima just as much as Tima told Atem for she constantly hugged and kissed her. Tima's Father, Yama, was an old man in his fifties. He stood tall over Atem and looked about his father's height. He had piercing blue eyes, like Tima did, black hair, and a huge body muscle-wise. After all the introductions were made, Tima dragged Atem to her room, which was right around the corner.

Inside, Atem felt a sense of calm and happiness. She decorated her room with a little bundle of lotus flowers everywhere. All around her room were drawings of her or with her and another that looked just like her. In the far corner was a cloth doll that resembled Tima in a doll sort-of way. Next to the door was a typical bed for a little girl in the poor section of the city.

Atem was about to compliment on how nice her room looked when an older version of Tima with green eyes walked inside the room. "Tima, do you know what's going on outside? Guards are running around like crazy looking for the prince and…" She stopped when she saw Atem standing next to Tima. "Oh…here he is."

Tima look at the girl and said, "Don't worry, Yima. He won't be here long. He just wanted to see my place."

Yima nodded and bowed to Atem. "Forgive me. I am Yima, Tima's older sister. Nice to meet you."

Atem nodded and said to Tima, "I have to go before my father goes crazy, but can I see you again tomorrow?"

Tima eyes shined and said, "Yes. Just meet me here when the sun touches Ra's temple. I'll be done with my chores by then."

Atem smiled and left. When they were alone, Yima went into the room, got Tima in a playful headlock, and said, "So you got a new special friend, huh?"

"Yima, stop teasing me."

"I'm not teasing you. It's wonderful that you finally found a friend."

Tima smiled and nodded.

---

Pharaoh Akunumkanon was waiting in the room when Atem walked in his prince attire. By the look on his father's face, he knew he was in trouble. "Atem, where have you been?"

"Out in the poor section of the city."

"You know you are not allowed there without a guard with you. Why were you there?"

"There are times I hate being taught about all the things I have to know to be Pharaoh. But I'll appreciate them now for I have made a new friend while I was out. Also, I'd like your permission to see her every other day when the sun touches Ra's temple."

Akunumkanon was surprised by what his son just said. But he let it pass, for his son was safe. "You have my permission if you behave in your classes from now on."

Atem nodded and left the room. When he got to his room, he started to wonder if he and Tima would be lasting friends. "No matter what, I got to make this relationship count. Wait…it's just a friendship. It's not like I like her or anything."

Will Atem be able to stay friends with Tima? Find out next time!


	2. A terrible discovery

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 2: A terrible discovery

Atem and Tima continued to see each other every other day for the next few years. Atem enjoyed those days because he enjoyed Tima's company and, above all, her smile. Over those years, Tima always presented herself as the luckiest girl in the world. Everyone who met her believed that she was, especially Atem. Her best friend was the prince, had the most loving family known to Egypt, and got things that poor girls only dreamt about. But, when they turned ten, Tima started to present otherwise.

That day, Atem arrived at Tima's door as always but to his surprise Yima answered the door instead of Tima. Seeing his confused face, Yima looked and pointed around the house with a sad look on her face. Atem was confused, but headed toward the direction that Yima directed him toward. Around back he found a small tent that looked like it could only hold one person. Seeing movement inside, he opened the tent flap and looked inside.

Inside, Tima's back was toward him. Yet they were quite a few things different about her this time. She wasn't wearing her one of usual silk dresses. Instead she was wearing a filthy piece of cloth that could only loosely be called a dress. It was splattered with mud and what looked like blood. Her ruby necklace was gone. But what stunned him and made him feel a little queasy was the fact that she was cleaning what appeared to be a fresh cut on her upper arm with a dirty rag.

Suddenly Tima looked behind her and saw Atem. Stopping, she got rid of the rag and quickly pulled the sleeve down to cover the cut. "Sorry, didn't see you there," she said while turning around and putting on a fake smile. "So…what do you want to do today?"

Atem was still getting over the shock of seeing the wound on her arm that he didn't answer at first. But, after a few remarks from Tima, he snapped out of it and found his voice. "Before I answer that, I have to ask you something."

Tima raised her eyebrow. "OK…what would that be?"

Taking a deep breath, Atem went inside, sat down, and lifted the sleeve up to reveal her wound. "Where did you get these?"

Tima blushed, pulled the sleeve down again, and answered quickly, "My…cat. My cat gave it to me. So what game are we playing today?"

Atem didn't believe her for one minute. He knew that she didn't have a cat because she and her sister would always get sick whenever one was around. He tried to get her to talk but she ignored him and kept suggesting some games they could play. Finally, he grabbed her chin, looked at her straight in the eye, and asked sternly, "Where…did…you…get…those?"

Tima didn't answer. She just looked away and tears started to roll down her face. Atem was surprised to see them, but paid them no mind. He ripped off a piece of the tent and wrapped it around Tima's cut. She looked at him in amazement. Smiling, he said calmly, "Now…let's try this again. Where did you get these?"

Tima's eyes watered up and she finally broke down. She started to cry in Atem's chest and choked out, "My Mother…gave it to me. Lately, it seems like she's been possessed by an evil demon. She's always drinking and I've become her slave. If I don't do the things she wants me to or don't do it fast enough…she beats me. Like today…I didn't give her breakfast to her fast enough and…she…"

Tima couldn't continue. She just continued to cry in Atem's chest while everything she said sank into him. 'Her Mother abuses her? How dare she! But what can I do?'

Getting an idea, he hugged Tima tightly. Even though she was crying, she felt her heart was racing. She was getting more excited by the second. They stayed that way until the sun went fully down and Atem left. Even though she was alone again, Tima still felt Atem's arms around her. 'I never knew he was that warm. What is this feeling I have in my heart?'

She thought it about all night and by morning, she had the answer. Eye wide, she whispered, "I have a crush on Atem."

Will Atem save Tima? Find out next time!


	3. What are my true feelings?

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 3: What are my true feelings?

A few years have passed since that faithful day when Tima revealed to Atem that her Mother had started to abuse her. Atem had tried to get her mother arrested but it never worked. Whenever he brought guards over, she would act the way she used to. One time, Atem even got his father to go over and she acted the same. Finally he gave up since everyone thought he was having delusions. But due to their care for each other and Atem's help with her depression, they started to put that event behind them.

As of this time, they were twelve and best friends. They always enjoyed each other's company and taught each other different things. Atem taught Tima about the monsters of the desert, swordplay, and self-defense to help her with her mother. Tima taught Atem how to never give up hope (for that was her motto), how to always keep your cool no matter what the circumstances, and how to play her games. And everywhere they went, they were under the watchful eye of Tima's sister, Yima. But one day everything changed.

It was the day that Atem became Pharaoh. That day, he was very nervous because the law stated that he needed a wife. It wasn't the actual marriage that made him nervous. It was the fact that he didn't know who it was going to be. But most of all, he was anxious to see Tima and celebrate with her.

So, after all the celebrations, Atem went to Tima's house and went straight to where her tent was. But, to his surprise, it wasn't there. Feeling a little worried, he went to the front door and asked to see Tima's mother. She came with a drunken expression on her face. "Where's Tima?" he asked with a little urgency in his voice.

She just smiled in a very evil way that sent shivers down his spine. "You won't see her anymore. She's dead."

Atem was shocked but kept his cool. 'The woman's drunk. She doesn't know what she's talking about.' "I don't believe it," he finally said out loud.

"Believe it Pharaoh," she spat out. "If not, feel free to check the house to your heart's desire. You'll see she's not here."

Atem entered, glaring coldly at the woman as he passed her, and looked everywhere. Just like she said, Tima was nowhere to be found, including all evidence that Tima even existed. Giving up, he started to leave when he heard a familiar voice. "Where are you going?"

He turned and saw Yima standing in a nearby doorway. She looked extremely irritated, which was very unusual for her. He answered quietly, almost as if to himself, "I'm leaving. It's obvious that she is dead."

"You are so worthless," Yima stated coldly. Atem was taken aback because she had never said that to anyone before, especially not to him. "You give up so easily. Didn't my useless sister tell you that you should never give up hope on anything? Oh wait, my sister told you that. Never mind, she's too stupid to know anything, anyway."

Atem was very shocked by what he heard. Yima never talked badly about him or her little sister before. But, instead of saying anything or even telling her to think about who she was talking to, he left. When he was outside, he started to wonder why he had an ache in his heart. "Why do I feel this way? I mean…she was just my friend…wasn't she?" Without answering the question, he headed back to the palace, tears forming in his eyes.

As soon as she saw him leave through the window, Yima went up to the roof and uncovered a pile of blankets in the far corner. Underneath was Tima, bound and gagged. "Get up! He's gone now. You know the new rules. You can't leave the house or see him ever again!"

Tima nodded. Her sister waited, anticipating a sarcastic remark from her young sister. Instead Tima just looked toward the palace with tears starting to slide down her face. Seeing them, Yima dragged her into Tima's old room and threw her roughly on the floor, where Tima cried her heart out. "What's your problem, slave?" Yima said with a great deal of disgust.

Tima calmed down enough to be able to speak. "I don't know. I mean…that woman has done this before to me…taking my friends away forever. But none has had…this effect on me. I don't…understand me anymore."

Yima smirked and said, "That makes two of us. I don't understand you ever. Now, don't get Mother's way tonight while I'm gone. For if you do, you'll answer to her and me."

Tima looked at her older sister with a great deal of hatred. "What happened to you Yima? Ever since you've been going out with that Tomb Robber, you've been colder toward me, like you don't care about me anymore. Not that I care anyway. Ever since you've been going with…Bakura or whatever his name is…you don't care about anything but yourself and him. You disgust me!" She finished her statement with spitting at her feet and turning around with her nose up.

Yima looked at her sister and growled, "Hey, you think I want to be like this? I had to do SOMETHING to keep us together! It's the way he likes it! You may not care but I happen to love Bakura and he loves me back! But I had to make some changes for us to be together! Now, behave tonight or else!"

Tima scoffed, turned around, and said to Yima, "You believe all that stuff? I can't believe that you're so gullible! He probably uses that on every female that comes his way! Why, he'd be with me or that woman if he wanted to!"

Turning red with angry, Yima started to leave but stopped at the doorway and sighed. "Look…you may not believe me but…I have a pretty good idea what's going on with you. After seeing the way he went home today…I think that Atem is probably feeling the same thing."

Turning to her sister, Yima looked at her with great sadness and pity. Tima didn't know how to react. She was starting to forget how her sister used to look like when she actually cared for her. Ignoring her surprised face, Yima said, "If you want to know why you hurt so badly because of Atem, search deep inside of your heart and ask yourself what Atem is to you. After this, you'll have the answer to your question." Saying this, Yima smiled at her sister and left to meet Bakura.

Tima was confused and surprised by what just took place but she started to wonder, "What DOES Atem mean to me? I mean, I know I have a crush on him, but…did it grow?"

---

Far away in the palace, Atem was laying on his bed, crying as if his heart was breaking. "What is wrong with me? Yes, Tima is dead. That's the way life goes. So why am I hurting so badly? I didn't feel this much pain when my father died."

Hearing a knock at his door, he sat up, quickly wiped his tears away, and called for the person to come in. It was his right-hand man, Shimon. Seeing the young Pharaoh in tears, he asked with great concern, "Are you okay, my Lord?"

Atem put on a fake smile and said, "Yes, Shimon, all is well. Tima wasn't there today so that's why I came home early."

Shimon didn't believe him. "Than why did you come home in tears and why are more tears coming down now as we speak?"

Atem now noticed that more tears were falling. Unable to control himself, he turned from his friend and cried into his pillow some more. Shimon, more concerned than ever, went over, sat down next to him, and started rubbing the young boy's back.

Feeling the hand, Atem smiled a tiny smile and sat up, letting the tears fall. "I won't see Tima ever again. Her mother said that…she's dead. I searched the place myself and…I couldn't find her. But…even so…she's was just my friend. That's why it's so confusing to me. My father just died…and he was the only family I had left. Yet that pain…doesn't…even come close…to this loss. I just…don't understand…what's going on."

Shimon smiled and said in a soothing voice, "Was she really only a friend?" Seeing Atem's confused expression, he smiled and patted the young boy on the back. "I suggest you think about that for a little while. Ask yourself, was Tima really only a friend? Or was she more than that?" With that, Shimon left Atem alone.

---

Back at her place, Tima was on the roof, reflecting on what her sister said earlier. "I wonder, what ARE my feelings toward Atem? I mean, he was a great friend and I had a huge crush on him for the past few years, but is that what this is?"

She then started to remember all of her memories of their times together. She remembered the day they first met, all of their play-dates, everything he taught her, and most of all, all the times they just talked.

One incident stood out in her mind the most. It was a few year ago when Atem discovered her with her wound from her mother's attack and when she cried while she confessed the truth about her Mother. But what sent shivers down her spine was when he held her until it was time for them to leave.

Tima smiled when she remembered that. "That's when I realized I had a crush on Atem. My heart would race whenever I saw him and I got this intense, warm feeling throughout my body. Also, lately…I've been having dreams about us. Sexual dreams with a lot of…detail. You don't dream up all the details if it's just a crush." Saying this, she realized what was going on with her. "Atem wasn't just a crush that that woman took away. He was someone I loved. Yes, that's what it is. I love Atem."

---

Looking out the window of his room, Atem was wondering, "What did Shimon mean by if Tima was just another friend or something else?"

Trying to make sense of it, he went over all the memories he could remembered. He remembered all the times he spent with her and all the things they did together. But there was one thing about Tima that stood out the most in his mind; her smile. Her face would just light up when she saw him and she would always smile around him.

"Her smile calmed me and made me forget that a lot of things were cold and cruel. I've always loved her smile." Having said that, he finally realized why he was hurting so badly. "Now I understand. Tima wasn't just my first and only friend. She was my first crush. If she were still alive, I would tell her my feelings, for I could tell that she liked me. If only I could see her again."

Will Tima and Atem meet again and, if they do, will Atem save Tima from her family? Find out next time!


	4. Reunion!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 4: Reunion!

Four years passed since they last saw each other and Atem and Tima grew up miserable. They missed each other very much, but knew they couldn't see each other for their own good reasons. Atem believed that Tima was dead and Tima just wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the palace. But what kept them going were their memories of each other.

Even without seeing each other, both of them grew up successfully, in their own way. Atem helped get the country out of a number of different messes with his wisdom, the Shadow Games, and all the lessons Tima gave him on never giving up. Tima lost her mocking attitude, became a very depressed robot that never smiled, and also a slave to her mother. What made it even worse was that now her sister wouldn't comfort her anymore. In fact, all she had to cheer herself up were her dreams she had about her and Atem. But little did either of them know what was about to happen to them.

Atem was walking along the edge of the Nile one day thinking about Tima. "Why did she have to die? It's just…not fair," he said aloud.

Surprisingly, he saw someone just a little ways away from him. From the bright appearance of the sun's reflection off the river, it appeared to be a young woman about his age. She was sitting on the sand, looking out at the water with a very sad look on her face. What struck him as odd was the fact that there was something familiar about her.

Getting a little closer, he tried not to be seen but failed, for the girl looked right at him. When he got a close look at her, he gasped, for the girl was a grown up Tima! They stayed where they were for a minute or more, too stunned to move. Then Tima stood up and ran to him. Atem ran to her too and they met in a hug that lasted for many minutes. Neither moved, for both of them were in heaven.

After a while, they broke off the hug and sat down together. Atem, smiling for the first time in a while, said, "Hi."

Tima smiled for the first time in all those years and said hi back. Atem, feeling a little awkward, asked what she was doing here. Sighing, Tima said, "This is my favorite place to be. I come here everyday after I complete my chores."

Atem just stared at her for a while, wondering why he was lied to all those years ago. Studying her, he noticed something about Tima that was very different then before. Being very bold, he asked her, "Are your arms skinny than before?"

Hearing, Tima said quickly, "Excuse me. I have to get home," and started to stand up. But she couldn't and collapsed in Atem's arms. Panicking, he asked if she was alright. "Yes," she whispered, "but I haven't eaten in a couple weeks." With that, she fell unconscious.

Atem started to panic, for he lost her for four years and he wasn't about to lose her again. Setting her down gently on the sand, he took out his water pouch and poured some of the water in her mouth to try to revive her. Her eyes flittered open and she gave him a weak smile. Relieved that she was conscious again, he took out his lunch and handed it to her. "It may not be much but you can have it."

Tima was shocked. "I can have it?" Seeing him nod, she thanked him and started to eat. After she was done, he asked her why she hadn't eaten for that long. Tima sighed, laid down on the sand, and said quite calmly, "That woman is trying to kill me."

"How do you know?"

"She told me when all this started. She told me herself that she curses the day I was born. Well, I curse the day she was conceived."

Atem grinned. "Now there's the Tima I know, following your second motto, 'always speak your mind, even if it gets you in trouble.'"

Tima smiled and sat back up again. "True…but thanks to that woman, I've lost even that side of me. Once when I did mouth off to her just to see her reaction, she cut me. See?" She moved her hair to reveal an old scar on her neck.

"Why haven't you run away to any other family or friends during those four years?"

Tima looked at him with a sad look on her face. "What other family? They're all I have. What friends? You're the only friend I ever had that's ever stayed my friend for so many years. All the others were scared off by her for some reason or another. But I did once try to run away to you a couple years ago. She found me and…well…"

She pulled up her sleeve to reveal many scars. "She gave me the biggest punishment I've ever gotten. But it didn't really bother me. Want to know why? It's because I had you in my mind. When I think of you, I don't feel any of the pain."

After saying this, she blushed a little, placed her hand on his knee, and got close to his face. He grew bright red but she ignored it. "You were my first and only guy friend and also the first friend I've ever held close to my heart. It was because of you that I made it this far. Thank you." After saying this, she removed her hand and looked out at the water.

Atem continued to stare at Tima for the longest period of time. 'Why does her family torture her like this? No person should go though this kind of pain. Well, since I'm Pharaoh and now that I know that she's alive, I can do something about it. And, this time, everyone will actually listen to me. But what can I do? But…more importantly…why am I so nervous? I just have a crush on her…right?'

As Tima watched the river, she was thinking about how to confess her feelings to him when she saw Atem staring at her. "Is there something on my face?" she asked calmly.

Atem blushed deeply and said in a shaky voice, "N-no. I wa-was just wondering why such a beautiful girl like you should go though that kind of torture."

Hearing this, Tima turned bright red herself. "You really think I'm beautiful?" Seeing him nod, she gasped and smiled. "Wow. No one's ever told me that before. Thank you."

Taking a deep breath now fully knowing his feelings, he blurted out, "There's something else I want to tell you."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well, it's……………no, never mind."

"No, what is it? Come on, you can tell me."

"All right." Taking a few deep breathes, he said, "I…uh…love…you."

Tima's eyes grew wide. "You do?"

With his nod, she just sat there, stunned. As he got up and started to leave thinking that she didn't feel the same way toward him anymore, she grabbed his cape and said, "Wait. Don't go." After he sat down again, she said, "I…I love you, too."

He was surprised to hear this. He asked again to make sure. When she nodded, he couldn't contain himself. He hugged her, but she cried in pain. When he let go, she was clutching her arm and breathing painfully. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Tima, ashamed at herself for screaming, left up her sleeve to reveal another cut on her arm. "Who did this to you?"

"That woman, this morning."

"Why?"

She looked away and whispered, "Because I didn't give her enough fruit for her breakfast."

After hearing this, Atem had heard enough. "That's it! I've had it! You're coming with me!"

With that, he lifted her up in his arms and started to walk back to the palace. Tima was stunned and said, "You don't have to do this."

Atem just smiled and said, "Anything for the love of my life."

Tima smiled back and fell asleep in his arms. When he arrived back at the palace, he handed Tima over to his servants. "When she wakes up, have a meal ready for her. When she's done, fix her up with the best dress and best makeup we have to offer." To himself he thought, 'That woman used to give the best things they could afford and sometimes things they couldn't afford. After all these years, she deserves to remember what that lifestyle was like again.'

They nodded and left with Tima. When they were gone, Atem called for his close friend and priest Mahado and asked for a favor. "When they're done with Tima, can you use a little of your magic on her?"

Seeing his confused face, he tried to explain. "You see, she has a lot of scars from her Mother's beatings and is deathly thin. So can you fix her up a bit into the woman she used to be?"

Mahado nodded, bowed, and left to tend to Tima. Atem went into his room and waited for hours. By the time they were done, the sun was starting to set. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door open and Tima's voice outside. "I'm done. Close your eyes."

Atem got a little excited but obeyed her until he heard the door close and Tima said it was alright for him to open them. When he opened them, he gasped, for before him was Tima, but not the Tima he was expecting. He did expect her to turn out beautiful, but his servants and friend transformed her into a goddess.

She was absolutely breathtaking. She had a strapless silk shirt that went halfway down her chest and a long silk skirt on. The servants gave her an emerald necklace in place of her ruby necklace, a couple of bracelets on each arm, and a clip in the shape of a wing in her hair. All of her scars, both new and old, were gone, as if she never had one in her life. Also, she wasn't deathly thin anymore; she was just…perfect, with a hourglass figure. She even had on a little lipstick and blush to add to her beauty. Atem just sat there utterly speechless until he finally found his voice again. "You…you look gorgeous!"

Tima blushed and smiled. "Thank you. This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done to me. Nothing my family has ever done for me can even come close to this. I'll have to treasure this moment…since I'll never have another one again when I go back."

Atem smiled, walked up to her, and said, "Not if you live here."

Tima raised her eyebrow and said in her usual tone, "What do you mean by that?"

He kept smiling and said, "I want you to live here. That way, I can protect you and you'll never get beaten again."

Tima was dazed. "Do you mean that? I can really live here?" With his nod, she hugged him with all her might, knocking him down. "Thank you!"

He was glad that she was happy again after many years of torture. He hugged her back and stayed there for quite a while. But he remembered something and stood up. seeing her confused face, he said, "Sorry, but I want to get something done before anything else."

With that, he opened his door and called for Shimon. He came over and asked, "What can I do for you, my Pharaoh?"

The young Pharaoh said in a stern voice, "I want you to got arrest her family. Gather a couple of guards, go to Tima's home, and arrest everyone there."

Shimon looked surprised and slightly disgusted. "Forgive me, my Lord, but why are you still holding on to those lies?"

"I was never lying. Tima can vouch for that."

As he said that, he looked at Tima, eyes asking her to say something. She called out, "Atem is telling to truth! Please go arrest them…for my sake."

Atem turned back to Shimon, eyes narrow. "Now do you believe me? Now do you see that I wasn't lying all those years ago?"

As Shimon struggled to say something, Atem just barked, "Just get it done!"

Shimon, a little taken back by Atem's stern tone, bowed and quickly left. Closing the door, Atem went over to Tima, pulled her to her feet and hugged her tightly, as if he was afraid that she would disappear if he didn't hold her. Smiling warmly, she returned the hug. After a while, she spoke in a very excited voice. "You know, you're very warm and soft."

Atem was surprised to hear her say that since he didn't expect it from her so soon, but decided to make it a little more enjoyable for her. He grinned and asked slyly, "Want more warmth?"

Tima's eyes grew wide and nodded quickly. With that, he took off his cape and shirt, revealing his chest. she turned bright red and got stars in her eyes, so he asked her softly, "Would you like to dance?"

Tima, still bright red, nodded. He took her hand and they started to dance a simple, little dance but they held each other close. After a few minutes, Tima whispered, "Let's not dance anymore. Let's just hold each other."

After she said this, they stood extremely still and held each other tightly as if they were afraid the other would disappear. They stood there for a very long time until Tima pulled her head back, looked her love in the eyes, and said, "Can you do something for me? It's very important." Seeing his nod, she whispered, "Kiss me."

He was absolutely amazed by she said. She had turned from a very depressed little girl to a young woman in a matter of hours. "Are you sure? This is not too much, too fast?" But, as he was saying this, he was moving in very slowly.

Tima moved in close to his face little by little while whispering, "I don't mind…anything that happens…as long as it's you…doing it." They kissed the most passionate kiss any of them have ever experienced.

What will happen between Atem and Tima now? Find out next time!


	5. Trail and punishment

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 5: Trail and punishment

The night went by too quickly for the two young lovers. They had a magical night and held each other close until the sun came up. When the sun finally rose, they didn't even notice. They just continued to hold each other when the door knocked. Atem, half-asleep, yelled, "Not now! Get me in the morning!"

Through the door, they heard Shimon answer, "But Sire, it IS morning."

The two lovers opened their eyes and saw the sun rising. Sighing and thinking 'wonderful', Atem answered, "Alright, let me get ready first." Then, he got out of bed and started to get dressed. He turned to Tima, who was still laying in bed trying to wake up, and said to her, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Shimon needs me for something."

Tima smiled and blew him a kiss. He caught it and left. Once outside, he turned to Shimon and asked quietly so that Tima wouldn't hear him, "Did you get everyone in that house?"

"Yes, Sire. We got both parents."

"What about her older sister, Yima?"

"She wasn't there. We looked everywhere and couldn't her."

"What?" Atem opened the door and asked Tima, "Tima, do you have any idea where your sister is? They couldn't find her at your old house."

Tima sweatdropped and looked very annoyed. "You won't find her anywhere near here."

"Why not?"

"She ran off with that Tomb Robber guy she's been dating for the past few years. What's that scum's name…Bakura…I think?"

Atem was disgusted that his love's sister was off with that man. "Oh…great. Well…I'll be back in a bit."

Saying that, he closed the door, uttered a few curses under his breath, and left with Shimon. He walked into his throne room where the 6 priests were waiting for him and Tima's parents were standing in front of his throne, chained and waiting for their sentence. Atem took his place and the trail began. "Shimon, begin."

Shimon bowed and started. "Parents of Tima, you are being punished for the abuse, neglect, and attempted murder of your daughter. What do you have to say for yourself?"

They remained silent so Atem nodded to Shada. He used his Millennium Ankh and looked into their minds. After a few minutes, he said, "The mother feels no remorse but the father feels guilty. However there is very little of it."

The priest Seto spoke up. "What kind of Ka do they have?"

Shada looked again and said, "The Mother has the Ka of Makyura the Destructor and the father has the Ka of Silver Fang."

Seto was about to tell Akunadin to take their Ka out so he could transfer them into tablets when Atem stopped him. "Don't. I don't want the Ka of the evil people who harmed my love anywhere near me."

Tima's mother smiled in her evil way. "So…you really do resent us. Well, as I know, you can't have a lot of evidence without an eyewitness. Do you have one?"

Everyone was a loss for words when they heard a strong voice say, "I'm an eyewitness."

Everyone looked and saw Tima. She was fully dressed and her eyes held a lot of determination. Atem was surprised and said, "Tima, are you sure you want to do this?"

Tima nodded and told her story of what her parents did to her all those years. By the time she was finished, everyone was shocked beyond belief. Her mother and father looked about ready to kill her, Isis had a tear going down her face, and everyone else just stood there, too shocked to move. After she finished, Tima started to cry for remembering everything in a short period of time. Atem smiled a sad smile, went over to her, and hugged her. "Prepare the prisoners to be sentenced to death immediately."

A couple of guards dragged away the screaming parents and headed toward the execution. Atem turned to Shimon. "Take her back to my room. I'll be there in a minute."

Shimon nodded and took Tima away. Then the Pharaoh turned to his priests and said, "Make the preparations. I'd like to marry her in two weeks," and left.

When he got back to the room, he said to Tima, "You know…you didn't have to do that."

She smiled, wiped her eyes, and said, "I know. But I wanted to." Getting a little mischief in her eyes, she said, "Shall we pick up where we stopped last night?"

But Atem didn't move. He had to ask her a very important question, now that he already made the preparations. "Tima…do you love me?"

Tima was surprised that he asked her that but answered. "Of course I do. More than life itself. Why?"

Atem slightly blushed in embarrassment. "Well…as you may or may not know…there is a law that states I'm supposed to marry someone before I turn 18. Well…I found that girl."

Tima's eyes grew wide by the way he was looking at her. There was so much love in his eyes. "Tima…will you marry me?"

Tima smiled brightly. "I've waited for so many years to hear those words. Of course I will."

"Even if the life will be difficult and hard?"

Tima smiled. "Where ever you are is where I'll be."

They kissed and hugged. Then Atem remembered. "By the way…the wedding is already set. It's to happen in two weeks. So get ready to be queen."

Tima laughed. "You mean get ready to be your wife."

They smiled and kissed again.

Get out your dresses and tuxes, for the wedding is the next chapter!


	6. The wedding!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 6: The wedding!

The date of the wedding has arrived. Atem was very nervous for, in order for Tima to marry him, she had to pass all the tests that the six priests would put her through. That way, they would know if she is worthy enough to be queen. He warned her the night before but she wasn't worried. "You and I both know that I'm worthy. We just have to make the priests think so as well." Still, he couldn't help but feel nervous for her.

Finally the long awaited moment arrived. Tima walked in, looking very determined to pass the tests. Atem couldn't help but sigh at the way she looked. She was wearing the same outfit she had on the day he rescued her, but she had now a few lotus flowers in her hair.

The ceremony began. Shimon stepped forward and said, "Tima Tama, you are about to face the tests that our priests will put before you. Are you prepared?"

Tima simply nodded. Shimon bowed to the priests and stepped away. The high priest Karim was the first to step forward. He held up his Millennium Scale, put a feather on one side, and said, "I will ask you a couple of questions and I want you to answer them truthfully. Depending on if you do, either the side with the feather or the side that's empty, which represents your heart, will go down. If the empty side goes down, you will be banished. If not, you will go on. Are you ready?"

Tima swallowed hard and answered in a strong voice, "Yes, I am."

Karim nodded and began his test. "My first question: Pharaoh has been captured and you find him. However, there are two choices you must make; whether to live or to die. If you choose life, Pharaoh will die. If you choose death, you will die but Pharaoh will live. What choice would you make?"

Tima smiled and said almost at once, "I would choose death." Seeing everyone's surprised reaction, she smiled even more. "Life isn't worth it if I live and Atem dies. I would rather die myself and let him live. He has more to offer than I do."

When she finished, the side with the feather went down a little. Karim smiled a little and said, "Final question, since I see that you are a very honest girl. Are you prepared to take on the responsibilities of being Queen and wife of the Pharaoh?"

Tima smiled a big smile, and replied, "Of course. I am ready for anything that comes my way, as long as Atem is by my side."

With this, the scale with the feather went down. Karim said, "You pass the test of truth," and stepped back.

The next priest to step forward was Shada. He told Tima, "I will simply look though your mind and find if there's anything that's ill against the land or the Pharaoh." The Millennium Ankh then glowed and Shada began his journey through her mind.

When he was done, he looked a little sad. Tima got worried, but he said, "Don't worry; there's no darkness in your heart. There's just all the sadness and angry that you kept to yourself during all those years your Mother beat you." Tima just nodded and looked away, not wanting to remember. Shada stepped back, saying, "You pass the test of the heart."

Akunadin stepped and started his test without any explanation of what he was doing. His Millennium Eye glowed and Tima's Ka took solid form outside of her mind. To everyone's surprise even Tima's, it was in the form of the Mystical Elf. Akunadin whispered, "You have passed the test of Ka," and stepped back.

Tima looked at Mahado but he shook his head. "I have no test to give you."

Then Seto stepped forward. Before he began, he asked, "Tima, will you allow your Ka to be used in battle whenever it is needed?"

She nodded and he began. The Millennium Rod glowed and the Ka of the Mystical Elf was transferred to a stone tablet. Smirking, he stepped back.

Finally Isis stepped forward. "I will perform the final test. I will look into your future and see if you will stay true to the Pharaoh."

Tima raised an eyebrow a little thinking, 'Why? I will never be unfaithful to Atem. I love him and only him.'

Isis looked into the future and slightly smiled. Stepping back, she said, "You pass the test of destiny."

Shimon walked toward her and said in a very proud voice, "The tests are over. You are worthy of being our Queen. For that, I have a gift to give you."

Pulling his hands from behind his back, Tima gasped at what she saw. For in his hands was a Millennium Puzzle just like the one Atem had around his neck. Shimon, smiling, put the Puzzle around her neck and said, "Now you are truly our Queen."

The priests and Shimon all stepped back, bowing. Atem stepped down and went toward Tima. When they were in front of each other, she bowed to him. Smiling, he lifted her head and said, "You don't have to bow to me anymore. Everyone will bow to you now."

Pulling her close, he was about to kiss her when he heard giggling behind him. Sweatdropping, he looked behind him to see a group of people staring at them. "Can we get a little privacy, guys?" he asked, trying to indicate to them to leave.

Tima just smiled and said, "Friends of yours?"

He blushed and nodded. Recovering, he said, "Tima, I'd like to introduce all my friends that I invited. This is Jounouchi, his sister Shizuka, Honda, Anzu, Mai, Mana, and Otoogi."

Jounouchi was the first one to say something. Looking over Tima, he almost shouted, "Atem, nice work with choosing such a hot woman! OW!" He rubbed his head where Anzu and Atem smacked him.

"Jounouchi, you ought to know better than that! Where are your manners?" Anzu asked.

Jounouchi yelled, "WELL, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME!"

Anzu and Jounouchi bickered among themselves while the others got to know Tima. After a while of talking, Mana noticed that the sun was setting and that she was tired. "Well, I'm going to turn in. See you later."

As soon as she left, everyone started to leave. A few minute later, Tima and Atem were alone again. They hugged and Atem said, "Welcome to the royal family…your highness."

Tima giggled and kissed him. "You know, what Yima told me years ago was wrong. The wedding isn't the fairy tale ending. I know the truth now; it's just the beginning."

They smiled and headed for their room, hands clasped together. But what they didn't know just then was what Tima had just said about the wedding being the beginning was true. And the answer to their future was already happening inside of Tima.

What's happening inside of Tima? Find out next time!


	7. The big news!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 7: The big news!

It's been a week from Atem and Tima's wedding and Tima was as sick as a dog. She threw up all week and kept getting worse. One morning, she threw up at least three times and Atem finally had enough. "Tima, I don't care what you say. You're seeing a doctor…TODAY!"

Tima glared at him as best she could with how sick she was. "Atem, you know how much I hate doctors. Besides, it could be a little thing."

Atem didn't care about her opinion. He just dragged Tima to the doctor and left her there pouting. "I have an important matter to attend but I'll see you when the sun goes down. Oh…and don't even think about trying to get away from this. I got a guard outside."

Tima sweatdropped and continued to pout while waiting for the doctor to come. When she finally came, Tima threw up again in a bowl that was near by. When she saw this, the doctor knew it was bad. She led Tima into a little room and started. "Tell your symptoms."

"Well I've been throwing up for at least a week, I'm always nauseous, and my stomach seems hard in this one place."

"Show me where." Tima pointed to the center and the doctor felt it. She gasped and Tima asked what was wrong. "Nothing and there is nothing wrong with you either. At least…not in a bad way."

Tima looked at her with her eyebrow raised. The doctor smiled and whispered in her ear. After hearing the statement, Tima fainted.

---

Later that night, Atem returned from the appointment he had. He was a little concerned about Tima, since she's been ill for a while. But when he entered their bedroom, he found her on the bed with a far away look on her face holding her stomach. "So…what did the doctor say?"

She just smiled and said, "I'm fine…in terms of illness. There is nothing wrong with me. But there is something…going on with me."

Atem raised his eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about? You're not making any sense"

Tima continued to smile as she got up, still holding her stomach. "I'll give you a clue…and I hope you understand this. When a man and woman have…what usually happens to the woman?"

"What? She usually gets—" Realizing what he was about to say, he gasped and his eyes grew wide. "You mean…you're—"

She nodded. "Yes…I'm pregnant."

Atem couldn't control himself. He hugged Tima with all his might and twirled her around. After a few minutes, he set her down on the bed and joined her. "So…how far along are you?"

"I'm probably only a few weeks. Our child was probably conceived during that first night."

Atem smiled and put his hand on her stomach. Tima sighed and put her hand on top of his. Then, he thought of something. "What shall call our baby?"

"While I was waiting for you, I thought of a name for a girl; Myrrh."

"Myrrh…it's pretty. I like it."

"Now, you have to think of one if it's a boy."

Atem thought long and hard and finally came to a decision. "How about Osiris?"

Tima thought it over, nodded, and said, "Not bad. It's perfect for a boy. But I hope it's a girl."

Atem grinned. "Well…boy or girl, it will be born to the best parents."

Tima sighed again and whispered, "I hope so." After that statement, she looked very deep in thought. Atem asked her if something was wrong. "I've always wanted to be a Mother and a good one at that. But I don't know if I can after…these last few years."

Atem just kissed her. "You know better. You have a pure Ka. Your parents didn't. Those with pure Ka are pure in everyway, no matter what."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Tima smiled a little and yawned. "I'm going to bed. I'm really tired after today. Good night, Atem."

"Good night, Tima."

They kissed and went to sleep, both happy beyond their dreams. For not only were they married but they had a child on the way.

I'm just going to go straight to when Tima gives birth. How will Tima and Atem handle child-birthing? Find out next time!


	8. The big day!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 8: The big day!

Atem woke up one morning. Yawning, he turned looking at his wife and smiled. It has been nine months almost to the day that they found out Tima was pregnant. He remembered that he found it pretty hard to cope with all her mood swings, especially with her huge attitude but everyone was somehow able to get by. Just then Tima woke up. She saw him looking at her and smiled. "Good morning."

Sighing, he kissed her and said good morning back. He then rubbed her swollen stomach and asked, "How are you feeling today?"

Sighing, she sat up a little and replied, "Besides the fact that I miss my feet and my back is always sore, I'm fine, thank you."

Atem couldn't help but laugh at this. Then, remembering an important meeting that was set for today, he got up and got dressed. Afterwards, he said, "I have something important I need to do. You just rest and you know where the doctor is if you need her." Seeing her nod, he left.

A few minutes after he left, Tima felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Grunting in pain, she got dressed and went to the doctor's. Once she was there, she felt the largest pain she has ever experienced. Screaming, she collapsed in the doctor's arms as she got the nurses ready. Tima, gasping in pain, said, "What's happening to me?"

The doctor said in a calm voice, "It's time."

---

Later in the day, when the sun was setting, Atem returned from his meeting. "Those things take so long. It's just…I just don't get it. Well, at least we don't have to have another one for another two months. That will give me perfect time to spend time with Tima."

Just as he finished saying this, he opened the bedroom door and, to his surprise, no one was there. He looked around and found no one. Then, thinking something could've happened to Tima, he started to run to the doctor's, praying to Ra that she was all right and out of harm's way.

As he got nearer to the doctor's, he heard screaming, and thanks to a couple of experiences in the past, he recognized them as Tima's. When he finally got there, he tried to get inside but the doctor wouldn't let him. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but you can't come in. She's giving birth right now and we can't let her see you or it'll stress her out and could hurt the baby."

"I don't care! Just get me in there!" He tried to push past her but she shut the door in his face. "TIMA!" he screamed trying to make contact with her. Finally, giving up, he sat down against the door with his eyes watering up.

About an hour later, Jounouchi and Shizuka dropped by to visit everyone. Jounouchi wasn't really paying attention and kept talking to his sister, but Shizuka noticed Atem when they passed him. Silencing her brother, she said, "You go on ahead of me. I'll be right there."

Jounouchi looked at her strangely but shrugged and left. She then proceeded to the Pharaoh and asked him why he was crying. Atem said, through tears, "Tima's giving birth right now."

"Well, that's wonderful. Why does this make you cry, my Lord?"

"You don't understand. My Mother died giving birth to me. I don't want to lose Tima ever. It will be especially hard if she dies and her child lives. Then I will have something around that will remind me of her. I just…can't take it."

Shizuka smiled and sat down next to Atem. "I don't think she will die in there. Know why?" Atem shook his head. "Because she is stronger than she knows. I believe that everyone is. Besides, she was very excited about the birth. She told me the other day when I came to visit. I know she will get by." With saying that, she got up, bowed, and went looking of her brother.

Atem reflected on what Shizuka just told him. "She's right. I know Tima will be all right. Heck, if she can live through all the torture her family gave her, child birth will seem easy to her."

For at least an hour, Atem sat outside the doctor's waiting to see Tima and their child. After a while, though, he fell asleep against the door, which he later came to regret. The doors opened and he fell on the hard floor, waking him up at once. "Oh, I'm sorry, Pharaoh. I didn't know that you were against the door."

Atem just nodded, rubbing the huge bump that was on the back of his head. Coming to his senses, he asked, "How's Tima? Is she all right?"

The doctor smiled. "Yes, she is fine. By the way, congratulations. You're the father of twins."

Atem sat there for a while, not knowing what to say or do. The word "twins" came as a big surprise to him. But when he heard Tima calling for him, he came to his senses and went in to find her. She was in a bed not far from the entrance, completely exhausted. He smiled at the sight of her, for she seemed to glow. He went to her and kissed her. "Are you all right?"

Tima smiled weakly and whispered, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just very surprised that I had twins. I bet you are too."

Atem sweatdropped. "Surprised…doesn't even come close to how I felt."

They laughed until the nurse came in with their children. The nurse asked, "Do you want to hold them, Your Majesties?"

They said together, "Of course." So the nurse gave them each a baby. Atem held the boy and Tima held the girl. As he was looking at his son, Atem noticed something. "Hey, Osiris has the same hair design as me."

Tima giggled. "Yes, I sort of noticed that too. He also looks like you as Myrrh looks like me…except for the blond hair."

They laughed and just stayed where they were looking at their children. Osiris took an interest in the Millennium Puzzle around his father's neck and Atem let him look at it for a little while. Myrrh just lay there trying to act all tough toward her Mother with Tima giving her mirror images of what she was giving. Just then, the door flew open and there stood everyone. As the couple looked at them in surprise, Shizuka grinned. "My brother and I went looking for everyone when I told him Tima was giving birth."

Jounouchi was the first to step forward. "All right. Let's see the little guy."

Atem gave him his signature smirk and said, "Tell us which one you want to hold and we'll let you."

"What are you talking about?" Honda asked with a confused look on his face.

Anzu, sweatdropping, said, "He means Tima had more than one child."

Mai gasped. "Tima how many did you have?"

Otoogi sweatdropped. "Mai, you make it sound like she had a lot. That's not the case…is it?"

Tima laughed. "No. I just had twins. I'm holding Myrrh and Atem is holding Osiris."

"Then let me see Osiris!" Jounouchi said, finally catching on. Atem handed him the baby and all the boys starts passing Osiris around, admiring him.

Mana jumped in. "Let me hold Myrrh! Let me hold Myrrh!"

Tima smiled and handed Mana her daughter. "Just don't drop her. Same goes for you boys over there with Osiris."

Anzu was next to hold Myrrh. "She's adorable!"

Mai agreed. "Though I wonder where she got the blond hair from."

Atem was a little offended by what she just said. "Um…Mai…hello?" he said, pointing to his bangs. Tima just shook her head. Mai blushed and apologized. In a few minutes, everyone saw the children. They returned the babies to their parents, said their good byes and congratulations, and left the new parents alone once again. Atem and Tima continued to hold their children until the doctor came in with two baby beds. "It's late, my queen, and they need their sleep."

"As do I," Tima said, handing Myrrh to the doctor. After they were asleep, Atem moved next to Tima and kissed her. "Remember the day we met all those years ago?" Tima nodded, smiling remembering HOW they met. "Well…I'm grateful that I did meet you." They smiled, kissed, and fell asleep in each others arms.

Have you figured out whose past lives Osiris and Myrrh are? Find out next time!


	9. The first tragedy

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 9: The first tragedy

The years rolled by and Osiris and Myrrh grew up wonderfully. Osiris grew up to look almost exactly like his father. His hair had the same design, except he didn't have golden spikes going up his hair and he had a little strip of hair in the middle of his forehead. Also, his eye structure was much taller and wider than his father's glaring eyes.

Osiris grew up a little timid and was picked on by bullies almost everyday (even though he was the prince) until Jounouchi, Honda, Otoogi, and Myrrh would come to his rescue. Myrrh would always get him away and mouth off to the bullies to rouse their anger up. As she ran off with her brother, Jounouchi, Honda, and Otoogi would beat them half-dead. But, later on, Osiris showed to have real courage when he needed it. That took some working on, but everyone's opinion changed when Osiris started standing up for himself and everyone else. (1)

Myrrh, on the other hand, grew up easily just like her Mother did in her earlier years. She was very intelligent, very easy-going, and wasn't afraid of anything. That came in handy whenever she had to save her brother from bullies. Her blond hair grew long and she liked to keep in pigtails until she was seven. But the thing that really stood out about Myrrh was that, for the first few years of her life, she always carried around a stuffed bear. She never went anywhere without it and would always put down those who would tease her about it. (2)

The two children rarely left each other's side for the first few years. They became each other's shadow. But their whole lives changed one day when they were six.

---

Myrrh woke up one morning, smiling at the sun. "Good morning, Ra! Thank you for shining on me, the wonderful, beautiful, intelligent princess Myrrh, on this beautiful morning!"

"You talking to the sun again, Myrrh?" Osiris asked, still half-asleep.

"Oh…hush, Osiris! You know I have to talk to Ra every morning in order to get a wonderful day ahead! Isn't that right, teddy?" she asked, making the bear's head move up and down, pretending he was agreeing with her.

Osiris, now fully awake, rolled his eyes at his sister playing with her toy. "Why don't you just go somewhere without that stupid bear for once in your life? People will never take you seriously if you don't, you know."

Myrrh got mad at her brother and gave him the silent treatment for a few minutes while they dressed and. But, when they were leaving, she said, "For your information, people DO take me very seriously. They know better because, otherwise, I would tell them to—"

"Move it or lose it!" they said together. They laughed as they walked toward their parents' room. But when they were there, they saw a few of guards in front of the door. When they approached, one of the guards, who happened to be new and didn't know them, stopped them. "Stop! Children are not allowed through these doors!"

Myrrh, having a big mouth, stepped forward. "I'll have you know that you're not just talking to a few ordinary children! We are Prince Osiris and Princess Myrrh, daughter and son of Pharaoh Atem and Queen Tima! Therefore, being the princess, I order you move out of our way and let us pass this instance!"

Osiris covered his eyes with his hand and sweatdropped. 'Well,' he thought, 'Mother was right. Myrrh did inherit her ability to speak her mind. But I thought she learned her lesson the last time she did this! Last time, she got punisheded for 2 weeks! Guess you can't teach this girl anything.'

The guard was getting more steamed off by the minute. "How do I know that you two are not just fakes and are just trying to harm the Pharaoh in his time of stress?"

Myrrh lost it. If it hadn't been for her brother holding her back, she would have rammed the guard down. But reality kicked in about what the guard just said. "What's going on with Father?" Osiris asked the guard that they knew.

He just bowed his head and opened the door. Osiris, still trying to keep Myrrh from running the new guard down (who was giving him the evil eye), walked in to see Atem being treated by the doctor for a head injury. Their mother was no way to be seen. Myrrh finally calmed down when she saw that her mother wasn't there. "What happened? Where's Mother?" she screamed.

Atem, hearing his children, motioned them to come closer to him. They obeyed and he told them the grim news. "Osiris, Myrrh, I want you to understand that what I will tell you will upset you greatly but—"

"Where's Mother?" Myrrh and Osiris said together.

Atem nodded and looked away. "Tima…your Mother…was kidnapped…last night."

The children were shocked. Their Mother was the most important person in the world to them and she was gone. Myrrh started to cry but Osiris tried to be brave, ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes. "What…happened?" he finally choked out.

Atem didn't answer and the doctor answered for him. "He doesn't know. When the Queen was being taken, he must have tried to stop them and got hit on the head. Because of that, he doesn't know what happened or even who to look for."

Myrrh, still crying, thought of something. "What about her sister?" When everyone looked at her strangely, she calmed down and said, "I ran into her a few days ago and she told me to look after Mother. Her exact words were 'someone is coming for her.'"

Atem grabbed Myrrh and yelled, "Why didn't tell us this sooner? If you had, your Mother would still be here! Why didn't you?"

Myrrh, now scared out of her wits, choked out, "Mother told me not to. She said 'Yima would never do that. No matter how much Bakura brainwashed her, she would never put me in danger.' If Mother didn't tell me not to, I WOULD HAVE!" With that, she ran out, crying.

Osiris ran after his sister, leaving Atem and the doctor. Atem didn't know what to do. The love of his life was gone and now his children probably hated after he scared them like that. He just sat in his chair being treated, trying to think of some way to get Tima back, when the door flew open and Isis walked in. "I know where Tima is."

(1) Osiris is the past life of…Yugi!

(2) Myrrh's the past life of…Rebecca!

Where is Tima and who has her? Find out next time!


	10. Kidnapped!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 10: Kidnapped!

Tima woke up to find herself not in the royal bedroom. Instead she was tried tightly to a pole that made her stand up. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a red dress that, for some reason, gave her chills. "I never knew what the feeling of fear was like. Guess this is it. Oh…where is Atem? Where am I?"

"Why, you're with me, my dear, and here is where you'll stay until I'm done with you!" sounded a deep, evil voice from an open doorway. Tima looked and her blood ran cold at who she saw. The man who was in the doorway looked like a man in his early-20s. He was very tan with a black scar under each eye. His eye structure was the same as Atem's but had a much more evil glare. His hair looked light yellow in the dim light and it was in spikes that pointed everywhere. He was wearing tan pants, a black shirt, and a long black robe that covered his gold earrings, bracelets, and choker. But what astounded her the most was his glowing eye on his forehead. (1)

He walked toward her and held her chin up so he could look her in the eye. His evil glare grew even colder and he got a very evil grin on his face and sent a chill down Tima's spine. "So this is the famous Tima that had a troublesome past." Seeing her surprised reaction, he just laughed. "No need to look so surprised, my dear. Everyone under your rule all knows about you. But now they say that you're back to your old self again, and now you have twins. What are their names? Myrrh and Osiris?"

Tima growled, "You come anywhere near them, you won't live to see the future."

Malik didn't say anything, just slapped her. She regained her posture as if nothing ever happened. Surprised by her not showing emotions, he tried again, slapping her in the same place. Again, she stood up straight and just stared him down. Now he was starting to get steamed. Finally, in a final effort, he took out a knife and cut her across the face. She winced a little, but again acted as if nothing happened. By this point, Malik was really furious. "What does it take for you to show some emotion for my satisfaction?"

Tima just gave him a smirk and didn't answer. Now extremely enraged, Malik attacked her without stopping or showing any mercy. He slapped, punched, kicked, and cut everywhere on her body. At first, she tried to take the pain but it soon became too much for her. Finally, she started to scream, pleading Malik to stop. But he didn't.

He continued to beat her, enjoying her screams and pleads. At last, when he had enough, Malik stopped and looked at the poor Tima that now was hanging limp from the pole. She was covered with red marks, bruises, and cuts. Her face was covered with tears. He just laughed evilly and told her, "Be prepared, we're doing this again for as long as I want to!"

Tima, being brave, asked while panting from the pain, "And…how long…will that…be?"

Malik merely smirked. "Until I get bored and decide to do away with you."

---

Back at the palace, Isis just told Atem that she knew where Tima was. Atem jumped out of his seat and asked, "Where?"

"She's on the outskirts of the village. She's in an underground prison cell with the criminal Malik."

Atem's blood ran cold when he heard Malik's name. He was the most wanted criminal in all of Egypt. His crimes included kidnapping, torture, and murder. It was said that whenever he kidnapped a female of any age, he would torture her for a few days for his amusement, then murder her. Afterwards, he would always leave the body at the doorstep of her home for the family to see. His victims were always easy to pick out because they always had a scar on their check in the shape of an "X." Atem felt sick as he imagined Tima's body arriving on the doorstep with Malik's mark on her. "We have to save right away. Where is her exact location?"

Isis was about to answer when Shimon interrupted. "Pharaoh, you can't go after Malik! You know he resents you! If you go, you'll be walking into a trap and most likely get killed!"

Atem just glared at the old man and answered very coldly, "I'd rather die than to have Tima die. She needs to look after the children. She has more to offer to them than I do. Shimon…ready my horse. Isis, get the priests together. We're going to rescue her."

---

At her prison, Tima tried to get herself untied until her wrists became raw. She just lay limp again and cried. "Oh…will I ever see Atem or my children again? I need to see them. I can't go on without them."

But thinking about them made her more upset. So, to calm herself down, she started to sing a song Yima used to sing to her when she was little. She sang the song a few times in order to calm her spirits. But her spirits crashed as the door flew open and there stood Malik. "Hello, my dear. Ready for your beatings for the day?"

"I don't think so, Malik!" sounded a familiar, strong voice from behind him. They looked behind them and saw Atem and his six priests behind him, ready for battle. "Atem!" Tima cried.

Malik merely smirked, though it was quite obvious that he was getting nervous. "So the high and mighty Pharaoh comes to rescue his queen. Well…you're a little late as it is. She belongs to me, now!"

"That's what you think, Malik!" Atem yelled. Then, he ran at Malik and attacked him. While they were fighting, Karim, Shada, and Seto untied Tima and Isis covered her with a blanket she found. They got her out and Mahado yelled, "Pharaoh, we have Tima!"

Hearing this, Atem kicked Malik in the face and ran toward Tima. He hugged her with his might while she cried in his chest. He smiled, relieved that she was alright, and was about to put her on his horse when he heard Malik laughing in a very demonic way. Everyone looked and saw him summon his Ka, the Winged Dragon of Ra. He said, "Now all of you will die, starting with you, Pharaoh! Winged Dragon of Ra, attack him with all your might!"

Hearing the command, his Ka attacked with all its fury. Atem pushed Tima out of the way and closed his eyes, waiting for the attack to hit. The priests started toward their Pharaoh to protect him, but stopped when they saw what was in front of them. Atem noticed that the attack never reached him and looked up to see why. What he saw would stun him for the rest of life.

Tima was standing in front of him, facing him and taking the attack for him. She was grunting in pain but held her position, no matter how much pain she was in. "Tima, what are you doing?" Atem yelled.

"You have much more to offer than I do! You don't deserve to die, I do!" Tima answered. Then she smiled a painful smile and whispered, "Take care of the children for me." Saying this, she screamed. The attack stopped and she collapsed in Atem's arms, unconscious.

Atem started to cry and yelling her name over and over, trying to revive her. When she never opened her eyes, he just screamed in sorrow while Malik continued to laugh in his demonic manner. Finally, in his angry, Atem summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon and had it attack Malik. The fury of the attack almost immediately killed him. But before he died, he shouted out a warning. "You haven't seen the last of me! I shall return!"

Before his Ka disappeared, against Atem's wishes, Priest Seto sealed the Winged Dragon of Ra into the temple of seals to be used in future battles. Atem held the half-dead Tima in his arms, crying his heart out. Not sure knowing what to do, Isis touched his shoulder and said softly, "Pharaoh, we must get you home. You're still in danger out here."

Atem nodded and got on his horse, still holding Tima. The whole way home, Mahado led Atem's horse on his own so that he could hold Tima. Atem tried as hard as he could not to cry uncontrollably but he did let a few tears fall.

When they finally got home, Osiris and Myrrh were waiting for them at the palace door. When they saw how their mother was in their father's arms, they knew something bad had happened and just stood in shock with tears pouring down their faces. Atem just walked past them, not wanting them to hear about what happened.

Tima's back was burnt black. Her back was cleaned and wrapped with bandages. She was dressed in her favorite outfit, the outfit Atem gave her when she was rescued, by Atem's orders and laid on their bed. He then sat down beside her and didn't move. He never left the room, never let anyone in, and yelled at anyone trying to help him in anyway. "I don't want any help," he said. "I want Tima."

(1) It's the past life of…Yami Marik or Malik as I call him

Well Tima ever wake up or will she remain this way forever? Find out next time!


	11. Pain and sorrow

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 11: Pain and sorrow

Atem stayed with Tima for a whole week and a half. He refused to eat or even leave the room. He didn't want to leave his wife for one second. Finally, after a long time, he moved onto the bed next to Tima. He took her hand and kissed it. Then he said, "Why don't you open your eyes? I long for your beautiful smile, your wonderful laugh, your gentle touch."

He wanted to turn his face from her but, for some reason, he couldn't. By the time he was able to, his face was covered with tears. Unable to take it anymore, he hugged Tima's limp body and cried as if his heart was breaking. Suddenly, he heard someone knocking. "Go away," he chocked out through tears.

On the other side of the door, he heard a familiar voice. "Father, it's us, your children. We just want to be with you."

Atem had crack a tiny smile at his son's innocence. Getting up, he wiped the tears away and let Osiris and Myrrh in. Myrrh went immediately to her mother's side while Osiris led their father back to his chair. There, Atem tried his hardest not to cry. "So…what brings you around?" he asked them.

Myrrh looked up. "Why, we came to see you, of course. You haven't left the room for days and haven't even eaten according to the priests. We were worried about you."

Osiris nodded. "Yeah, and also, we wanted to check up on Mother. Any improvement?"

Atem shook his head. The twins sighed and looked at each other, trying to decide what to do. Then Myrrh got an idea. "Say, Father, are you planning to leave the room any time soon?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving until Tima wakes up again."

Myrrh nodded. "I thought so. So why don't my brother and I keep you company for the day? You sure could use the company."

Atem looked up. He looked at his daughter and smiled. "Yes. I would like that."

Myrrh and Osiris cheered and grabbed their Father. They pulled him toward the back corner and started a game with him. They played a bunch of games throughout the day from simple dice to pretend Shadow Games. By the end of the day, they were exhausted but happy. Atem laughed a little. He had forgotten how tiring playing was since he hadn't played in so long. But his smile slowly vanished as he remembered the times he had with Tima, for he knew they could never go back to those times. Osiris looked at his Father and asked, "Father, are you all right? You still miss Mother, don't you?"

Myrrh spoke up before Atem could answer. "Of course he misses Mother. They love each other, right?"

Atem blushed but nodded. "Yes…but my love runs deeper than you know. I realized I had a crush on her when I was 12, when I became Pharaoh. But her Mother kept us apart by telling me that she was dead. I didn't see her again until we were 16. When I saw her again after all those years, that's when I fully understood my love for her. That's when we got married and had you two. I lost her for four years to her Mother, almost to child birth, and now this. I just don't want to live without her…ever."

Osiris and Myrrh didn't know what to say. They never knew how their parents met and they never imagined that they went through all that. Seeing the expression on their faces, Atem shooed them off to bed and laid down next to Tima again. He took her hand again and said, "Now I know what you go through every day you don't help with royal matters. But I don't mind. I still love you with all my heart." With that, he kissed her cold lips and laid his head on her chest.

He stayed in that position for a little while until he fell asleep. But he didn't stay asleep for long, for he felt a hand going through his hair. He grabbed the hand and recognized it. He looked up to see Tima looking at him with loving eyes. He gasped. "Tima…you're all right."

Tima gave him a weak smile. "Yes…it was your kiss…that revived me. Where are the children? I want to see them."

She tried to get up but couldn't without getting pain shooting up her back. In massive pain, she laid back down. Atem kept her down. "You shouldn't move. You got badly burned from that attack."

Tima sweatdropped and said sarcastically, "Yes, but I'm alive aren't I?"

Atem smirked. "Yes but that was a very foolish thing that you did. I would have survived that attack. Heck, I've suffered much worse in my life."

Tima challenged him with what he just said. "Like what?"

Atem gave her a very sad smile. "Like when I thought you were dead when we were 12. My life seemed to have lost meaning. You were my best friend and advisor. I didn't want to go on…but thanks to my friends Mahado and Mana, I was able to move on. I was also suffering during the time you were with Malik and when you didn't wake up after the attack. I knew that if you died that I would have followed you."

Tima never heard Atem say any of this before. "What do you mean? You can go on without me there with you."

Atem shook his head and started to stroke her face lovingly. "No, I can't. I love you more than life itself and I can't bear the thought of losing you. Life without you would be like hell on earth. I love you that much. I never told you, or anyone for that matter, but if I had to give the throne to be with you, I would have done it in a heartbeat. You mean more to me than this land or my position."

Tima had a few tears going down her face by the time he was finished. But she didn't have a chance to cry because Osiris and Myrrh burst in and hugged her. They ended up all sleeping together in the same bed, happy that they were together again. They thought their times of troubles were over. But they were wrong; they were only just beginning. And the next tragedy would happen to little Osiris.

What will happen to Osiris? Find out next time!


	12. Assurance

Tima and Atem 

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 12: Assurance

A few days after Tima woke up, Atem found a special way for them to live and die together. He pulled Tima closer toward him that morning and asked, "Tima, how are you doing? Do you think you can move around?"

Tima smiled. "Yes, I can move. But I shouldn't move my back too much because I still have to wait for the burn to heal. Why do you ask?"

Atem looked away for a minute before he answered. "Because I want us to go to this magician I found to have a spell be put on us."

Tima was a little confused. "Why? And can't Mahado do the spell?"

Atem shook his head. "No, Mahado doesn't know this particular spell. Only this magician does; I looked around to make sure."

"What kind of spell is it?"

"It's a spell that can make two souls one. The process is that one person has to bear a mark. When the mark is shown, both the bearer and the other person with the spell move and speak at the same. They can even feel the same pain. When the mark is covered, both souls are separated and independent."

After hearing how the process worked, Tima was still confused. "Atem, why do you want us to have that sort of spell be put on us? It doesn't make any sense."

Atem kissed his wife before he answered. "Because I want us to live and die together. I don't want to lose you again. This way, with the spell, I'll know that you and I will not live without each other ever."

Tima sighed. "Well…if it's what you want." Then, she whispered to herself, "I still don't get it."

Atem smiled and helped her out of bed. After they got dressed, ate breakfast, and told the priests where they would be, they set out. The magician's lair was on the outskirts of town. They made it inside without a problem but Tima got a little nervous. "Atem, I don't know if I want to do this any more."

Before Yami could answer, a weird voice sounded in the dark. "Why, don't worry, my dear. The spell is harmless and will insure both of you living together forever."

Out of the shadows stepped out a man looking to be in his mid 40s. He was very tall, had long silver hair, and had on the weirdest outfit either of them had ever seen. (1)

Tima raised an eyebrow that the man's outfit but let it pass. Atem stepped forward. "Good morning. My wife and I want you to perform the soul-combination spell on us."

"Certainly," the man said, bowing. "Anything for the Pharaoh and his lovely lady."

Tima blushed a little at his response but Atem got a little mad. He didn't want any other man talking that way about his woman. Trying hard not to mind-crush the man, he said through grit teeth, "Just…put…the spell…on us."

The man bowed again. "Of course. But who is going to bear the mark?"

Tima stepped forward and the man brought her to a nearby table. There, he proceeded to tattoo an Egyptian Eye on the right side of her lips. The process was so painful, Tima gritted her teeth and tried hard not to kick the man.

Finally he was done and brought her back to Atem's right side. He had them sitting in the same position so that the spell wouldn't hurt them and started chanting. Blue mist appeared between his hands and, when he was done chanting, blew it on them. The mist enveloped them and was absorbed into their bodies. When all the magic was absorbed, he said, "Alright. Now, Pharaoh, lift your left arm."

Atem obeyed and Tima's left arm moved with him. Atem looked at his wife, expecting to have her looking at him, but her head was facing the direction his head was. Amazed, Atem lowered his arm, watching Tima's arm go done. Then, they looked at the man and said together, "Well? Is this what's supposed to happen?"

The man clapped his hands once and said, "Excellent! The spell worked! Now, Atem cover the right side of your lips."

Atem did and Tima did the same. But when he lowered his arm, Tima kept her hand covering the tattoo. Taking the opportunity, the man covered Tima's mark with a piece of cloth soaked with tree sap. "Now, remember, show the mark and the both of you will move and talk at the same time. When the cloth covers it, you won't move at the same time. But only you, Pharaoh, have the power to make her cover it because now that the spell is in you as well only you can make her move. You are her brain when it comes to movement and talking. Remember that and use it wisely."

The couple nodded and left. Once back home, Atem asked Tima what she thought. "Well…it was different to feel your limbs move and hear you talking, knowing that you're the one moving me."

Atem chuckled. "Well, now we know that we will always be together."

They nodded and kissed, which was a little difficult with Tima's cloth covering part of her lips. But, unknown to them, as soon as they left, another couple went to the man and had the same spell cast on them. The only difference was that the tattoo on this woman was on the left side of her lips.

What would have freaked them out a little was that Tima knew the woman and her husband personally. How did she know them? The husband was Bakura and his wife was none other than Tima's own older sister, Yima. And with this spell, they planed to put a huge amount of damage to the royal family.

(1) It's the past life of…Pegasus!

What are Bakura and Yima planning to do? And, the biggest question on everybody's mind, what will happen to Osiris? Find out next time!


	13. The first death in the royal family

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 13: The first death in the royal family

A few years passed since Tima was kidnapped and the whole royal family put the incident behind them and went on with their lives. Atem and Tima saw their land through its toughest trails and hardships. Osiris and Myrrh started their classes to learn what they needed to know in order to rule. And on rare, special days, they set aside their daily lives to spend time together as a more normal family. But little did they know that they would come to a situation where none of them could escape from or get out of without feeling pain.

It all began when Osiris and Myrrh were nine years old. Osiris woke up one morning feeling terrible. He had a terrible bad stomach ache and felt extremely dizzy. But he tried to ignore them throughout his classes. Alas, he didn't even make it pass his first class. He started to cough so violently that he collapsed out of his chair. He couldn't stop coughing and finally started coughing up blood. Myrrh and their teacher quickly knew something was wrong and carried him quickly to doctor.

Word got to Tima and Atem quickly that their son was sick. Tima quickly covered her tattoo (with help from Atem) and started to leave. Atem wanted to go but his wife stopped him. "You stay put. I'll come get you if the circumstances get grave."

Atem hesitated but let her go. When Tima got to the doctor's, she immediately went to her son's side. He smiled at her but quickly covered his mouth up so he could cough. When he stopped, his hand was full of blood. When that happened, Tima knew that Osiris had something serious.

Just then, the doctor walked in. When she saw the queen, she looked grim. Tima looked at her and asked nervously, "Doctor, what's wrong with my son? Will he get better? He has to get better, will he?"

The doctor sighed a heavy sigh. "Osiris…will not…"

Tima started to get freaked. "Will not what? Tell me, please."

"Osiris…will probably not live. If he makes it tonight, there's hope. But…more than likely…he'll die."

Tima was too shocked to move. To hear that her son was going to die, it was too much to bear. She started to cry silently. The doctor started to wipe the tears away but Tima brushed her hand away. "Leave us," she said to the woman in front of her. "I need to be with my son."

The doctor bowed and left. Now alone again, Tima stayed by her son's side. Osiris smiled a weak smile and tried to reach her hand with his. Tima took his hand sadly. Osiris said softly, "I am not…afraid of dying. I just…wished I had…more time…to spend with…you and my sister."

Tima tried her hardest not to cry but tears started to fall. "I'll miss you, my son. I love you."

Osiris coughed again and whispered, "I love you too, Mother. Good-bye."

Outside, the doctor was trying to tell her nurses what to do when Tima stepped out of Osiris' room in a daze. She was trying to be strong, but couldn't. She collapsed on the floor, crying hysterically. The doctor rushed in but it was too late; Osiris was gone.

Atem immediately felt something was wrong and raced toward the place where Tima went. But when he got there, he realized what happened. Myrrh sat in a chair nearby him crying. He went over to her and asked her if she was alright. Myrrh, through sobs, choked out, "Osiris…is…dead."

Atem felt torn in two. His son, his one and only son, was now gone. He let a few tears fall and then asked where Tima was. Myrrh pointed toward the door next to her and he left her, after knowing that she would alright alone.

Inside, he found Tima crying on top of Osiris' body. She was hugging him and pleading that he would open his eyes. That time, Atem couldn't control himself. He joined his wife and cried with her.

Looking through a nearby window, Bakura smirked at the scene in front of him. "Perfect. Now that they're going through this time of pain, it's the perfect time to execute our plan."

Yima, sitting under the window with her mark covered with the cloth, asked, "What is this plan of yours anyway? You could at least tell me that much!"

The white-haired Tomb Robber rolled his eyes and crouched down to her eye-level. "It's very simple. We'll kidnap their daughter and hold her for ransom. We'll simple say 'all your treasures or your daughter's life.' Pretty slick, huh?"

Yima didn't know how to answer, but nodded quickly to please her husband. He smiled in his evil way and looked back through the window. Yima's mind was racing. 'Kidnap my own niece? I know that's what we do, but I don't know if I can do this.'

Bakura, seeing the conflict in her eyes, grabbed the neck of her dress and brought her up to his eyes. "You WILL do this plan or you can kiss me and our son good-bye!"

Yima was scared. She loved both of them and didn't want to lose them. She quickly answered, "I'm sorry. I will help you. In fact," smiling in a sly way, "I'll be the one to grab Myrrh."

Will Bakura and Yima get away with this and, if they do, who will help Myrrh and her family? Find out next time.


	14. Kidnapped and helped by family

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 14: Kidnapped and helped by family

That night, Myrrh couldn't sleep. She missed her brother too much. She couldn't imagine life without Osiris nearby. They did everything together; played together, learned together, even got in trouble together. Now he was gone forever. She got out of bed and looked up at the moon. "Chons…is Ra punishing me for some reason? What did my brother do to deserve death?" (1)

"Why, he was born! That's why he deserved death," sounded a woman and man voice together. Myrrh turned around to see Yima and Bakura standing together, looking at her very evilly. She screamed for help but not before Yima grabbed her and they jumped out the window.

Tima heard Myrrh scream and ran to her daughter's room, only to find her gone. She sat on the ground, crying her heart out. She lost her son in death and now her daughter on the same day. Atem stood at the doorway, too angry and shocked to move. Finally, he punched the wall, almost making a hole in it. He cursed the people who took his daughter. Suddenly, he noticed a note nailed to the ground. Picking it up, he got Tima's attention and started to read.

_Dear royal family, We have your daughter. Don't try to find us, for we are the shadows. But we will return your daughter…at a price. Give us all your treasures within 5 days or Myrrh will die. If we get the goods, we might reconsider. But, for now, we hold the power to kill Myrrh or let her live. It's your choice; your treasures or Myrrh's life. Bakura and Yima_

Tima exploded at the mention of her sister's name. "Yima? How could she do this to me? This is not like her! Bakura has turned her into an evil person! I don't deserve to call her my sister anymore! How dare she?"

At this time, Atem noticed that the note also had writing on the back. Calming his wife down, he read;

_Dear Tima, Believe me when I say I didn't want to do this. I really didn't. But I had to in order to keep Bakura from leaving me and taking my son away from me. If I wasn't with him, I wouldn't have done this. I would never hurt you in any way. Also, I want to ask for your forgiveness for how I treated you from when you were 12 to 16. I only did it to please Bakura, but I hated doing all those things I did to you. Please forgive me. Yima_

Tima turned away. "I don't believe her."

Atem was confused. "Why don't you?"

"If she really cared for me, she would have left that jerk and tried to help me with that woman! But instead, she took joy in her bullying and taunting! No, I can never believe her again!" After saying this, more tears fell.

Atem hugged Tima to try to calm her down. "It's all right. We'll do everything in our power to find Myrrh. We won't rest until she is back with us. I promise."

---

A long ways away, Myrrh sat in the corner of her cage, fuming. She couldn't believe that these people would kidnap her. "Why did they have to kidnap ME? It makes no sense. Oh…wait…yes, it does. Mother and Father are connected through that spell. But it would have been easy to cover Mother's Egyptian Eye. But, still…I'm the only one who's vulnerable."

The more she thought about it, the madder she got. But, just before she could start tearing apart her cage in her angry, a young boy stepped in front of it. He looked about his age and had long, black hair. Despite the bit of evil in his look, there was quite a lot of kindness and sadness behind his eyes. (2)

Myrrh looked at the boy and growled. He backed up a little but smiled at her. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm just here to keep you company. By the way, I'm Mokuba. What's your name?"

Myrrh didn't answer at first. How could she trust this boy, if he hung around her kidnappers? But, sensing that he was telling the truth, she sat down next to the bars and smiled back. "I'm Myrrh, princess of Egypt and daughter of Pharaoh Atem and Queen Tima."

Mokuba and Myrrh grew closer very day. They soon became best friends just as Atem and Tima became friends. They played all sort of games (despite the fact that it's hard to play with someone behind bars) and talked about each other. Myrrh found out that Mokuba wasn't Bakura and Yima's real child, that they just took him in when they found on the side of the road, and how he longed for his freedom, but couldn't because Bakura kept him on a tight leash. Myrrh told him about her Mother's close encounter with death from the Winged Dragon of Ra, her brother's death, and what life was like as a princess. And with each passing day, their friendship and unknown romance grew.

---

The five days have passed and Bakura was ready to kill Myrrh since he didn't get what he wanted. Despite Yima's pleading to not go this, he just slapped her and said, "Shut up! I'm going to kill her, no matter what you think! Now you are going to watch or you'll be next!"

After the threat, he made a scar on her right check shaped exactly like his. With fresh blood dripping from her face, she realized he wasn't kidding. Her eyes turned ice cold and she looked at him emotionless. "I will watch you kill that pathetic runt and I'll enjoy it." She ended her statement with an evil smile.

Bakura grinned at the woman in front of him. 'She's the best one I've ever had. I'm glad I got rid of all that goodness that she had and replaced it with evil. It suits her better!'

He took her by the hand and they walked off toward Myrrh's cage. But, to their surprise, the door was open and she was nowhere to be found. Jumping to conclusions, he grabbed Yima and brought the sword to her neck. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER? WHERE IS SHE?"

At first, Yima was too frightened to answer. Finally she choked out, "I didn't do anything to her. I don't even know where the key to the cage is!"

Sensing she was being truthful, Bakura removed the sword and stabbed it into the ground. Suddenly one of his servants ran up to him. "Master Bakura, Mokuba's gone! He's not in his tent!"

Looking at each other, Bakura and Yima put two and two together and figured out where Myrrh and Mokuba were.

---

Far away, Mokuba and Myrrh were sharing a horse, running away. Earlier, Mokuba found the key to Myrrh's cage and got her out. Now they were on their way back to the palace. Myrrh shouted over the sound of the horse, "Thank you for saving me! But you really don't have to come with me!"

Mokuba shook his head. "Yes I do! I have no other home to go to! Besides…you were the first person to treat as a human being, not as a servant like Bakura did!"

Myrrh smiled, hugged Mokuba tighter, and fell asleep on his back. Looking back at her, Mokuba wondered, 'What is this feeling I have toward her? What is this growing urge to be with her all the time?'

By the next day, the two friends made it back to the palace. Myrrh raced toward her Mother and met her with a huge hug. Tima refused to get Myrrh go as she cried in joy. Mokuba smiled at the scene in front of him, but not without feeling a little jealous. His parents were killed by Malik's gang and he never had a moment like the one Myrrh was having. But his smile stopped short because Atem stepped in front of him. From the stern look on his face, Mokuba felt like he was in trouble.

Atem looked over the child standing in front of him. From the hair length and clothes, he guessed that the kid was with Bakura. "What have you done to my daughter?"

Mokuba was stunned at the question. "N-nothing. H-honest."

From the shaky response, Atem suspected that the boy was lying. Without saying a word, he ordered a few guards to take him away. Myrrh watched as her friend was taken away toward the dungeon. "No! Father…Father, please…let him go! He didn't do anything to me! He's my friend!"

Atem looked at his daughter with no emotion on his face. "He is with Bakura. That alone means jail time." With that, he walked back into the palace.

Tima was mad that Atem did what he just did and was determined to make it right. Shaking her head, she got up, patted Myrrh on the head, and said, "Don't worry, I'll fix this."

Not knowing how to respond, Myrrh nodded and took off toward where Mokuba was taken. Tima watched her until she was out of sight. "I will especially help you with this," she said to herself. "For I sense a little romance between you two."

(1) Chons is the Egyptian god of the moon

(2) This boy's the past life of…Mokuba!

Will Mokuba and Myrrh be able to be together or will Mokuba stay in prison for the rest of his life? Find out next time!


	15. Separated by body, but not by heart

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 15: Separated by body, but not by heart

Myrrh quietly walked passed the guards that were standing near the door to the prison. She crept along the edge looking in each window that she passed, looking for her friend. Finally, starting to give up, she sat down next to a window and whispered, "Mokuba…where are you?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Myrrh heard a familiar voice nearby. "Myrrh…look down here."

She looked and saw Mokuba looking at her through the window. She lay down in front of his window and held his hand as he smiled. "I'm sorry I made a bad impression on your old man. When I get out of her…assuming I do get out of here—"

Myrrh smiled and stopped him from continuing. "Don't worry; Mother will get you out of here. She promised me. She's the type to keep promises."

Sighing and being very bold, Mokuba reached out and caressed Myrrh's cheek. He slightly hesitated, fearing that she didn't feel the same way about him. Surprisingly, she took his hand and kissed it.

Bring her close, Mokuba was about to kiss her when his door opened. Turning, he saw the Pharaoh standing there. Swallowing hard, he got down and bowed before the mighty figure.

Atem didn't respond, just motioned for him to stand. Mokuba obeyed and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen. Instead, Atem asked the young boy, "What were you doing with Bakura and his gang?"

Mokuba blinked a few times in surprise before responding. "He just took me in. My village was slaughtered by Malik and his gang and I was left on the side of the road for dead. When Bakura came along, his wife convinced him to take me in, only if I would be his servant. That's the way it's been for the past two years now."

"Have you done anything to my daughter during the time she was being held hostage?"

Mokuba looked back to Myrrh before he answered. "I was her protector and friend. I kept Bakura from hurting or raping her. Without me, Myrrh would have scars on both her body and soul."

Atem looked at the kid, trying to decide whether he was telling the truth. Finally, making a decision, he said, "Mokuba…………you are free to go."

Mokuba was amazed by Atem just said. "I'm…free?"

Atem smiled. "Yes. But since you have no family to go, I'd like for you to stay her and take my son's place as prince. That is, if it's alright with you."

Mokuba didn't know what to say. Finally, not being able to find any words to say, he just nodded and ran out. Once outside, he met Myrrh in a huge hug. Myrrh said, "Welcome to the family."

Mokuba just looked at her. "I don't want to become a part of the family. If I do, I can't be with you."

They giggled a little and kissed. A little bit away, Tima nudged Atem in the side. "See? I told you they loved each other."

Atem just rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, you're right. Well, I hope they have all the happiness we have."

Tima smiled and looked at her daughter. "I'm sure they will."

Will Mokuba and Myrrh have true happiness or will something happen? Find out next time!


	16. Slaughter, death, and a visit

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 16: Slaughter, death, and a visit

When Myrrh and Mokuba turned 16, they started talking about getting married. They have been a loving couple for the past seven years and could barely control their feelings for each other. Tima had caught them making out on several occasions. Nevertheless, despite what others said, they stayed together thinking of all the happiness they would have as a family and ruling over Egypt. But their dreams would never come to pass.

It all started one day during the monthly meetings between Atem, Tima, and the high priests. All of a sudden, they heard screaming and wailing in the hallway. Atem made Tima cover her tattoo as they waited for something to happen. Suddenly the door flew open and there stood a man who had the wildest eyes anyone had ever seen. He had in his hand a long sword that was covered in blood and he also was covered with blood. Seeing the Pharaoh, he pointed at him and shouted, "Your reign has come to an end, Pharaoh! Your daughter, her boyfriend, and all your friends have already died at my hand and nothing will get in the way of what destiny has in store for you! Zork Necrophidius will be resurrected and he will take over the world! But in order for him to do that, you must…DIE!"

Saying this, he flew his sword over toward Atem. Everything after that seemed to move in slow motion. Seto, Mahado, and Karim attacked the man, Isis was screaming, and Akunadin and Shada was running to protect their Pharaoh. But, before they could reach him, Tima jumped in front of Atem. She took the sword for him and she fell back, screaming in pain. Atem caught her and rushed her to the doctor's. After what seemed like a long time, the doctor came out covered in blood. Atem shuddered for he knew that the blood belonged to Tima. "How is she? Is she going to be alright?" he asked anxiously.

The doctor sighed and wiped her brow. "I'm going to lie to you, my Pharaoh. We can't stop the bleeding. She's already lost a lot of blood. She's not going to make it."

Atem couldn't breath. His wife, whom he had planned to always be living with, was going to die any minute now. But then he remembered the tattoo and the spell they had in them. "Will she live if we connect our souls with our spell?" he asked anxiously.

The doctor shook her head. "No. If it was you dying, then yes; you could connect to die together. But since she's the one dying…besides, it's already too late. She's minutes from death."

Now Atem couldn't breathe. Trying to keep his cool but still letting his eyes water up, he asked in a shaky voice, "Can I…see her…please?"

The doctor nodded and Atem entered the room. There he saw Tima lying asleep in a bed. He gasped at how pale she was. Hearing him, Tima opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Atem…" she whispered, trying to reach for him.

Atem sat down next to her and held her hand. "Stay with me, Tima."

She just smiled, trying hard not to move. "No…it's my time…to leave…" she whispered softly.

"No, you can't leave me. I can't go on without you," Atem pleaded, tears pouring down his face. "I need you here with me."

Tima's own tears started fall. "It's alright…I'll see Osiris again…and I know our friends…and daughter are…waiting for me. Besides…you'll do…fine without me."

"No I won't! I can't imagine life without you! I need you here!"

Tima sighed. "It's already…too late. But before I go…I wanted to let you know…that these years with you…have been the greatest…and I will always treasure them."

Atem started to cry and kissed Tima. "I love you, Tima."

Tima smiled a very weak smile. Finally she whispered, "I love you too. Good-bye." Saying this, her eyes rolled back, they closed, and she breathed her last.

Atem, gasping, let go of Tima's hand and it fell limp. Finally realizing that she was gone, he just broke down. He grabbed her limp body and cried uncontrollably. The doctor, coming in after hearing him, got him to leave the body after many attempts. Being torn from her, Atem ran to his room, slammed the door, and cried uncontrollably into his bed. In his arms, he held the last item he had of Tima; her Millennium Puzzle. He hugged it, still crying. "Why…why did she have to die? The sword was meant for me. If only she hadn't taken the sword for me, she would still be here."

"Then, you would have died and I would be in your place."

Atem looked around and saw no one. Suddenly Tima's Puzzle started to glow and out of it appeared a ghost-like form of Tima. She looked at him for a few minutes and smiled. "If I hadn't taken the sword, my pledge I made at our wedding would have gone bad. Do you remember what I said? 'Life isn't worth it if I live and Atem dies. I would rather die myself and let him live. He has more to offer than I do.' I fulfilled that promise today. Besides, you still have things to do here in the world of the living. You have to track down that man and figure out who or what he meant about Zork Necrophidius."

Atem stood there, listening to Tima. Finally he said, "But I miss you. Can't you stay with me?"

The ghost smiled a sad smile. "I miss you too. But I am always be with you. Just keep my Puzzle near you and I will be nearby. That is where my soul is being held until you come and join me. Anubis explained the whole future to me. You and I will stay in our Puzzles until the proper time for us to join the dead. As for our family and friends, they will be reborn and we will see them again."

She walked toward him and caressed his cheek. Strangely, he felt her hand and held it. She started to disappear and she said before she was gone, "I'll be seeing you…Yami." And then she was gone.

Atem stood where he was in surprise. Yami was a foreign word that meant "dark." He was surprised that Tima called him that but he let it pass. He hugged himself and fell to his knees. "I guess…I'm never alone. I will always have Tima with me. And I'll see her again…someday."

Grabbing her Puzzle, he snuggled it and kissed it. If items could blush, her Puzzle would have been bright red. Smiling, he wiped away his tears and went to sleep, lying across Tima's side for her warmth.

---

Only a few weeks after Tima's death did her prediction come true and the kingdom started to fall apart. Bakura and Yima struck the kingdom. Mahado died and became the Dark Magician while the Tomb Robber couple took his Millennium Ring and made a duplicate for Yima to wear. Priest Seto met and fell in love with Kisara, a beautiful young woman with white hair and blue eyes, who held the Ka of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Akunadin transformed into Dark Priest Akunadin and killed Kisara for her Ka. Seto battled Atem for his throne. Mana transformed in to the Dark Magician Girl. Zork Necrophidius was resurrected and Atem sacrificed himself to seal away the Evil God. But, in doing so, he lost the memory of his birth name, Atem, and all the memories of his life. The only ones that remained was the memory of Tima and the name she called him at their last meeting; Yami. Because of this, he began to believe that Yami was his actual name. After his death, both their Puzzles were shattered into the pieces that made them and stored in Atem's tomb in special boxes.

Who will get the Puzzles and how will the couple deal with having vessels? Find out next time!


	17. Introduction of Tiki and Rose

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 17: Introduction of Tiki and Rose

Three thousand years have past since Tima and Atem's death. On a small island country called Japan, their friends and family were reincarnated. Jounouchi became Joey, Shizuka, still his sister, became Serenity, Honda became Tristan, Anzu became Tea, Mai stayed Mai, and Otoogi became Duke Devlin. Their children and Mokuba became Yugi Mutou, Rebecca Hawkins and Mokuba Kaiba. Even a few of the priests were reborned. Seto became Seto Kaiba, older brother to Mokuba, Isis became Ishizu, and Shada became Shadi. The future was starting to turn out exactly as Anubis said it would. But there was still one person left; Tima's vessel. And with that, our story begins at a small orphanage.

In the farthest corner in the main room, a young girl of the age of three huddled close to her older sister, who was six. The two girls both had long hair and clear blue eyes. The oldest had curly dark-red hair. The youngest had straight brown hair and had a look of terror on her face. The eldest was trying to be brave for her sister. "It's alright, Tiki. Everything will okay," she told her little sister.

The girl named Tiki looked up at her sister. "How do you know, Rose? Our parents are dead. And we'll probably get separated when a family comes along and only wants you."

Rose smiled and hugged Tiki. "Don't worry; I'll make sure that we'll get adopted together." But Rose never kept her promise.

---

For, one year later, the Bakura family came with their four-year-old son Ryou looking to adopt a girl. When Rose heard this, she instantly thought, 'Oh, they only want one girl? Forget them, then.'

But as soon as she saw Ryou, she changed her tune. She walked up to them, introduced herself, and offered to show them around the orphanage. When the parents saw how kind and nice she was, they sat down with her and asked her a couple of questions. The whole time, Ryou kept looking away, trying not to make eye contact with Rose, who smiled every time he looked at her. "So…are you an only child?" was the first question the mother asked.

Rose smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

Behind some shelves nearby, Tiki almost collapsed to the floor in shock of what she just heard. She couldn't believe that her own sister could betray her like that. But, before she could find her sister and say anything, Rose was already going out the door holding the hand of her new brother. Looking back, she saw Tiki, stuck her tongue out at her, and waved good-bye to her little sister with a sly smile on her face. (1)

Tiki froze when Rose left. 'How could she do that to me?' she wondered. 'Did her promise mean anything to her?'

From that point on, Tiki didn't believe what anyone said or even played with the other kids. She lost all her trust toward other people. She remained that way until she was six years old. That was when another family came along looking for a little girl to add to their family.

---

The family consisted of grandfather and a 6-year-old boy named Yugi. That day, his grandpa told him, "Yugi…you go pick out your sister. Go around and select her out."

So, smiling his innocent smile, Yugi walked around looking at all the young girls playing with each other. Yet none of them seemed to peak his interest. That's when he saw Tiki sitting in a corner all by herself playing a game of cards. He walked over and asked, "What game are you playing?"

Tiki didn't respond or even look up; she just continued on with her game. Yugi continued to try to talk to her with no success. Finally, giving up, he started to walk away when she finally spoke up. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Yugi was a little confused by her question and just looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. Seeing his confusion, Tiki sighed and put down her cards. "Sorry. I'm just not used to have another kid be nice to me. Everyone around here avoids me because my older sister abandoned me for another family two years ago."

Yugi sat next to her and smiled. "I'm sorry. By the way, my name's Yugi. What's your name?"

Tiki smiled back at him. "I'm Tiki. Are you new here?"

Yugi giggled. "In a way. I'm here with my family looking for a girl to adopt as my sister."

Tiki nodded. "Well…I don't want to hold you up. Good luck on your search for your sister."

Yugi got up and went back to his grandpa. "Well, did you find her?" he asked him.

He nodded and pointed at Tiki. A few moments later, Tiki found herself in a car next to her new brother. She was happy beyond belief that the boy she just met a few moments ago wanted her as his sister. When they arrived at their home, Yugi helped dragged Tiki's suitcase up the stairs to his room that they would share.

At first, Tiki didn't know how to act around her new brother. But he took care of that. "I know you may seem nervous about being in this family, but don't be. This is the perfect family for you, I think," he told her one day. To share his brotherly-love, he gave her an angel necklace which she wore everyday.

---

From that day on, Yugi and Tiki were almost inseparable. They went and did everything together. Tiki found her happy side again and began wearing dresses everyday she didn't have to wear her uniform. Yugi teased her about it for a while but laid off.

A year after she was adopted, Yugi and Tiki found matching golden boxes in their basement with puzzle pieces inside them. They took them and started to work on them. They continued to work on it all the way until they were in high school. By that time, they were targets for bullies and had their only friend Tea help them.

Finally, one night after they saved Joey and Tristan from a bully, they finished their puzzles. To make it special, (after Joey returned Yugi's final piece he tossed out the window) they put the final piece in at the exact same time. When they did that, the spirits of Tima and Atem awoke and fused themselves in their vessels and helped Yugi, Tiki, and all their friends get out of tough jams.

(1) Know who Rose is? If you guessed Yima…you're right!

What's the first event I will cover? Find out next time!


	18. Reunion of sisters

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 18: Reunion of sisters

A couple weeks went by since Yugi and Tiki solved their Puzzles. They were now at Duelist Kingdom with their friends working their way up to win back Grandpa's soul from Pegasus. They were in the middle of their first night on the island when Tiki got the surprise of her life.

Mai had just left the campfire and the gang huddled around it, trying to keep warm. Suddenly Tea heard a sound from behind her and let out a little shriek. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan jumped to action to protect the girls. But, to everyone's surprise, out of the bushes came Ryou and his older sister Rose. Everyone was surprised but relieved, except for Tiki. She just sat frozen after seeing her sister again after many years. Yet when Rose smiled at her, she just looked away with an angry look.

After Ryou and Rose joined them, Yugi noticed that Tiki wasn't acting like herself. She kept throwing enraged looks at Rose and looking away with her nose up when Rose looked at her. Finally he had enough. "Tiki, what's going on with you?"

Tiki looked at the fire for a few seconds until she answered. "Well, as you all know, I'm adopted. You also know that I had an older sister who abandoned me when I was four. Well…my sister is here with us, right now!" With everyone watching, she looked at Rose and said in a cold way, "Long time no see…sister dear."

Everyone looked at Rose in a surprised look on their face. Ryou was the most astonished. "Rose…you told our family…that you were an only child. How could you lie to us? How could you lie to me?"

Rose looked extremely guilty. "Yes…it's true. I left my sister for the Bakura family. I don't know what took over me. It's just…when I saw Ryou…all logic left me. I just had to be with him…for some unknown reason. However…believe me when I say I deeply regret it. I've missed my sister terribly. So…" she looked at Tiki, "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did. What's done is done and I can't undo the past. Even so…I would like to ask for your forgiveness. Do you forgive me?"

Tiki wasn't sure how to respond at first. How could she trust the girl who betrayed her trust before? Rose saw the conflict in her eyes and smiled sadly. "I'll understand if you don't forgive me, but I have something I want you to see."

With that, she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a photo. Holding up for all to see, it was a picture of Rose and Tiki when they were very young at the orphanage. Rose was hugging Tiki and Tiki was giving a "peace" sign to the camera. Tiki gasped and grabbed the picture to confirm her suspicions. Confirming them, she looked at Rose in surprise. "I can't believe you held on to this. I thought that you threw it away."

Seeing everyone's confused faces, she smiled. "This picture was taken the day before Rose left with Ryou. This is the only picture of the two of us when we were young." Turning to her sister, she hugged her and whispered, "I forgive you."

Rose smiled and Tiki sat down next to her. After a while, the gang got into a discussion about their favorite cards. After all her friends showed everyone their, Tiki pulled out hers, Celtic Guardian, and so did Rose, hers being Lady of Faith. For the first time in a very long time, Tiki felt complete. Her sister was exactly the way she remembered her and knew everything would be alright, even if they weren't technically related.

Yet when everyone decided to have a duel, Bakura and Yima took over Ryou and Rose and summoned their Millennium Rings into view. Everyone started to freak out because both underwent dramatic changes. Ryou didn't physically change but he looked evil. Rose's red hair and blue eyes, however, changed into brown hair and green eyes. They transported everyone to the Shadow Realm and placed their souls in their favorite cards. But, before the two thieves could take what they wanted, Yami and Tima took over and challenged them.

When Tima got a good look at whom in front of her, she would have gasped if the tattoo was covered. So, instead, she and Yima did an out-of-body experience, leaving a small portion of their souls in the bodies so their husbands wouldn't know what they were doing. Once alone, Tima spoke up, thanking Ra that the tattoo wasn't on her face. "Yima, what in Ra's name are you doing here? You're the one person I can't stand to see now or ever!"

Yima just smiled in her evil way. "Sister dear…how can you talk that way to me? You know we're practically flesh and blood," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well…if you must know…wherever Bakura goes, I go. You and I have the same spell on us."

Tima smirked. "I thought there was something different about you. But we need to settle this little feud of ours…once and for all."

Yima nodded and grinned like her husband always did. "Yes…we'll settle this…at the duel our husbands are playing right now."

They closed their eyes and returned to their bodies. By that time, just about everyone was already summoned to the field, save Tea and Tiki. Thanks to the Morphing Jar that Bakura and Yima played, Yami and Tima pulled the Magician of Faith and Celtic Guardian, which were the now soul cards of Tea and Tiki. Worried after the Just Dessert attack, Yami and Tima placed them down in defensive mode.

Tea came to up first and was very surprised to say the very least. When Tiki came up, she almost fainted when she got a good look at what everyone including herself was wearing. But she turned pale when she saw the two couples fighting above her. Almost at once, she fainted.

When Tiki revived, she saw that her brother was stunned from the Electric Lizard attack. That's when Bakura and Yima revealed their plan. They summoned Lady of Faith to the field and played Changed of Heart in order to turn Yugi against his friends. But their plan was foiled, for Ryou and Rose had other plans.

Ryou took control of Rose and they split into two people and urged Yugi to attack them. But before he could, Yami and Tima helped by stitching their souls with Bakura and Yima's souls. Then Yugi did attack, sending the Tomb Robber couple to the card graveyard.

When everyone returned from the Shadow Realm, Ryou and Rose explained how they got the Millennium Rings and expressed their thanks to Yugi and Tiki for rescuing them.

On to the next incident!


	19. Tima’s memories

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 19: Tima's memories

Soon after Duelist Kingdom, Yugi set up a day where Yami and Tima would spend a day with Tea, who would try to help them with their lost memories. They were at a coffee shop when Tea brought up a subject to try and cheer them up. Yami reacted but Tima didn't, since her hand was on the tattoo. Tea saw this and pointed it out. "Hey, you're not moving with Yugi like you always are!"

Yami noticed this too but Tima just shrugged it off. "First…his name is Yami and mine is Tima. Get that fact straight. Second…of course I'm not moving with Ai. My tattoo's covered."

Tea was a little surprised by Tima's tone but brushed it off. She dug in her bag and pulled out a Band-Age. Reaching across the table, she covered the tattoo and resumed the topic.

After a few minutes, Yami mentioned what he could remember about his past. Tima, obviously very hurt, got up and started to leave. Yami grabbed her hand to try to stop her but she jerked it away. "Don't touch me! It's obvious I mean nothing to you anymore! If I did mean something, you would have mentioned a particular memory that we share! It's a memory that I keep close to my heart and one I dream about every night!"

Seeing their confused faces, she sighed and her eyes started to water up. "Ai…you forgot to mention…the fact…that we…are married!" With that she raced out of the coffee shop.

Yami registered what Tima just said and remembered Tima smiling after the wedding in her favorite outfit. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "How could I be so stupid and forget about that? She means everything to me! I'm such an idiot!" Tea tried to comfort him but he rose to his feet. "I have to find her. I'll be right back!"

Tea just sat there, waiting for them to return. "They're married? Darn…I thought Yami was available!"

---

Yami looked around outside the coffee shop looking for Tima and where she could have gone when he heard crying. Looking to his right, he saw Tima there, crying. He was about to go over and make her feel better when a guy came out of nowhere and stopped in front of Tima. Remaining out of sight, Yami listened to what was going on.

The gut stood in front of Tima and she looked at him. "Hey babe, what's the matter? Why are you crying, sweet thing?"

Yami's blood boiled at what that man just called his wife. Tima just looked away. "My husband…doesn't care for me anymore. He likes…some other girl now."

The guy registered this. Panting, he grinned and said, "I'm sorry hon. But let me tell you, I know just the thing I can do to help you take your mind off him…go out on a date with me! Let's go!"

He grabbed her wrist and started trying to pull her toward the district. Tima tried to break free but the guy was too strong for her. Having enough and knowing that she needed his help, Yami stomped toward them, put one arm across her chest, and grabbed the man's hand with the other. Twisting his wrist around, he got the guy on the ground groaning and he asked very coldly, "What are you doing to my woman?"

When the man looked up and saw Yami, he saw that his stare was shooting daggers. Recognizing who it was and getting the drift, the man threw his other hand up showing he surrendered and, when his hand was released, raced off.

Yami turned Tima around and tried to hug her. But she was still very upset; she pushed him away roughly and stood with her arms crossed, glaring coldly at him. He realized how mad she was and looked her straight in the eye. "I am so sorry I didn't remember our marriage when I should have. Now…I don't remember the whole thing. But…I remember how beautiful you were."

Tima still didn't believe him and scoffed. "If you remember, then tell me this; what did I wear?"

Yami smiled. "You were a vision of beauty. You had on a strapless silk shirt and long silk skirt. You also had a couple of lotus flowers in your hair."

Tima smiled. "You DO remember!"

They smiled and kissed. Breaking the kiss, they rejoined Tea and their day progressed into one of the funniest day's either of them had very experienced.

On to the next incident!


	20. Kidnapped and brainwashed

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 20: Kidnapped and brainwashed

A week after Yami and Tima's meeting with Ishizu who explained their destiny, Kaiba began his Battle City Tournament in order to regain the glory of being the #1 Duelist in the World. During that time, Yugi, Tiki, and their dark sides were extra cautious around everyone, for they knew that a man named Marik was after their Millennium Items. They also knew that Marik had a Millennium Item as well, the Millennium Rod, and that he was using it to create mind puppets to do his bidding. They had just survived a duel against the Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon, when they realized just how dangerous and cunning Marik really was.

Marik's puppet Strings had just told Yami and Tima that Marik was thinking of targeting their friends, particularly Joey and Tea. But Marik neglected to mention another person he was planning to use in his plan. That person was Tima herself. Over the years as he was studying the ancient text, he learned everything there was to know about Tima. Realizing that he had feelings for her, he decided that they and the Millennium Rod would give him the upper hand in getting Tima to turn on Yami.

So his well-thought-out plan began in motion. He had Bakura and Yima attack Ryou and Rose so that he could gain the trust of Joey and Tea as Namu. Afterwards, a few of his Rare Hunters attacked and kidnapped the two of them. When Lumis informed Yami, Tima, and Kaiba of their double duel that they had to participate in, a helicopter showed up holding Mokuba kidnapped.

As soon as he had a clear shot, the Rare Hunter inside shot something at Tima and it landed right on her tattoo. Looking, she saw that it was a piece of cloth that seemed to be glued to her face. She tried to run away but failed. The Hunter reached down, grabbed her, and flew off.

Yami was shocked that this happened. He growled at Lumis, "LET HER GO! Your master wants me, not her!"

Lumis laughed. "On the contrary, Pharaoh. Master Marik DOES want Tima…in more ways than you think."

Yami grew angrier by the minute. But, for Tima, Joey, and Tea's safety, he went to duel along with Kaiba.

---

Tima came to in a dark room in Marik's boat. Groaning, she rubbed a bump on the back of her head. She got it from a Rare Hunter knocking her out when she tried to escape. Still rubbing the bump, she looked around in surprise. "Where am I?" she wondered out loud.

Suddenly she heard a sinister laugh behind her and the lights turned on. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she turned around and came face-to-face with Marik himself. Startled, she backed away quickly until she hit the wall. All the while Marik was inching himself toward her until they were face-to-face again. She closed her eyes in terror, expecting something terrible to happen, but instead he kissed her.

At first she didn't know what to do. After a few seconds though, she pushed away and punched him across the face so hard that blood trickled down the side of his mouth. He just smiled and wiped the blood away. "Just like the Ancient text said; 'Queen Tima had an incredible temper and never thought twice about her actions.'"

Tima growled, "So what if I'm like that? It's just what you deserve! Where do you get your nerve, kissing me like that! If you're such an expert on the Ancient text, you'd know I'm not available! I'm married, thank you very much!"

Marik grinned evilly. "But…does the Pharaoh still love you like he once did?"

Seeing her look of pain, he knew he hit her weak spot. He started to circle her and continued to feed her more garbage. "I saw his face when he heard that Tea would be my next target. I know you think he's starting to like Tea. Well…you're only half right. Your husband…is in love with Tea now…not you. He probably could care less about you. He will come…but not to rescue you. He's coming to rescue his friends. I'll bet if Tea wasn't in danger, the Pharaoh wouldn't be worrying as much as he is."

He stopped and looked her straight in her eyes. "Face it, Queen…your Yami…doesn't love you anymore. He loves…Tea."

Tima tried to ignore him but started to think that what he was saying was true. 'He's right. I've seen the way he's reacted whenever Tea was in danger. He's never acted like that before when it was me in danger. Maybe Marik's right. Maybe Ai doesn't love me anymore.'

When she reached her own conclusion, she started crying. Seeing this and thinking 'got her,' Marik hugged her acting concerned. Still he was tense in case she would hit him again. But she didn't; instead, much to his surprise, she hugged him back.

Looking at Tima, Marik saw that her face was stained with tears. Wiping them away, he felt his heart tug. Being extremely bold, he took a deep breath. "I have a confession to make." Seeing her confused look as she waited, he blurted out, "I love you."

Tima's eye grew wide. Pulling away from her, Marik turned around and continued. "You see…after reading all about you in the Ancient text…I've always felt like…I've known you my whole life. And before I knew it…I fell in love with you."

Tima wasn't sure what to say. "I had…no idea…"

Holding his Millennium Rod out of her view, he used it to erase all her memories of Yami and her friends. He also inserted in her mind that HE was her husband. As for Tiki, he locked her up in a mental prison where she would be unable to make contact with her dark side. He wasn't really sure if it worked since she also had a Millennium Item, one much more powerful than his Rod. But Tima confirmed it by hugging him.

Turning around, he saw love in her eyes as she said, "Don't worry, Ai." Lifting herself up to his ear, she whispered, "I'll help you destroy the Pharaoh and give you the power we all know you deserve."

Grinning, he pulled her close and they shared a deep kiss. This time Tima didn't pull back, for she had forgotten about everything and believed a lie.

Will Yami get to Tima and his friends and undo all the things Marik has done or is it already too late? Find out next time!


	21. Living a lie

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 21: Living a lie

By the time Yami and Kaiba finished their double duel with Lumis and Umbra, it was probably already too late for Tima, Joey, and Tea. Tima was brainwashed into believing that she was married to Marik and that she would help him conquer the world. Joey and Tea became Marik's mindless slaves and were awaiting his commands.

While they were waiting for Yami and Kaiba to arrive, Marik was having the time of his life having Tima thinking that she was his wife. They were currently celebrating his inevitable victory over the Pharaoh. After a while, he whispered excitedly, "How much do you love me?"

Tima got stars in her eyes. "How much do you think?" she said.

Marik smiled. "I don't know; that's why I asked," he said playfully.

Tima grinned and kissed him. "I would die for you. You're my sun, my reason for living. I can't go on without you next to me."

Marik smiled and brought her close. He started to make out with her and was enjoying every second of it when Odion shouted from outside that Kaiba's helicopter was about to land on the pier. Groaning in his mind, he stopped the kiss, took her hand and his Millennium Rod, and waited.

---

When Yami and Kaiba finally arrived, Joey and Tea were there waiting for them. Looking around, Yami shouted, "Where's Tima?"

Through Joey, Marik laughed. "She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. She belongs to me now."

Yami was shocked. "How dare you do this? You know she's the most important person to me!"

Suddenly, Joey started to talk with Tima's voice! "That's just a bunch of bull! You're just trying to get me in order to stop my husband from getting the power he deserves!"

Yami's heart skipped a beat and he forgot to breathe for a minute. "Did you just say…your hus—"

Tima cut him off. "What do you care who I marry? All I know is that I love my Marik and I'm going to help him conquer the world as his queen! Later…loser!"

"Tima, wait!" Yami cried out. But it was too late; Tima was gone and Marik was back. "What did you do to her?"

Marik just grinned. "All I did was just give her the little nudge she needed. She already had doubts about your 'love' for her. She began to notice signs that said that you don't love her anymore, that you love your friend Tea now. Even if you say you don't, she won't believe you…not after seeing how you reacted when I said I was going to use her. Get used to it and forget about her! You should focus more on saving your friends instead of your FORMER wife now!"

Yami growled deeply but did focus on rescuing his friends. 'Tima will get herself out of this mess. I believe in her.'

---

As the duel progressed, there were signs that Marik was losing his control over Joey. But there were also signs that Tima was regaining her memories as well. The first time it showed, Marik tried to kiss her on the front end of the boat and she shoved him away. As he left her shocked and angry, she said to herself, "What's going on here? I mean…Ai tried to kiss me and I got…repulsed. What is this?"

A few minutes later, Marik tried again. Only this time he hugged her from behind. He started to get a little suspicious about her actions but decided to ignore his feelings. He regretted that decision. Eyebrow slightly twitching, Tima elbowed him hard in the chest with both elbows. When he clutched his chest in pain, she turned around and asked frantically, "Ai, are you alright?"

Marik growled. "What is wrong with you, woman? This is the second time you've rejected me! And then you turn around and act like nothing happened? What is going on with you?"

Tima was hurt but didn't let her face show it. Instead, she slightly growled, "I honestly don't know what's going on with me. My body won't listen to me anymore. My heart's in the right place but my body isn't. Now, until they realign, I'd like to be alone, if you don't mind."

Marik growled and tried to leave but his feet wouldn't move. When Tima took a step forward asking him if he was alright, his right arm acted on its own and punched her in the stomach. She bent over in pain and looked up at him shocked.

Marik, shocked by what he just did, noticed that his hand was starting to go for her neck, grabbed his arm, and pulled it back toward him. He looked at Tima's shocked face again and felt his stomach turn. "Tima…are you alright?"

Tima just scowled and turned around sharply. Hearing him take a step toward her, she growled, "Take one more step toward me and you'll get what you gave me."

Getting her tone, he walked away from her in order to protect himself and her. Back inside, he said to himself, "What happened out there? Why did I do that? What is this urge inside me…that is telling me to kill her? I have to stay away from her…for her sake."

What he didn't know at the time was that he also had a dark side, one more dangerous than any other. For thousands of years after his death, Malik wondered the Earth and finally found Marik. Sensing his anger and hostility, he took residence in Marik's mind and waited for the right time. He had already come out once before and killed Marik's father. Now that Tima was outside and within his grasps once again, he wanted to complete the job he started when he kidnapped her all those years ago. But Marik's love for her kept him from coming out or controlling any other part of his body.

---

As time went on, Tima stayed on the front of the boat and started to regain her memories little and little. Finally, when Yugi gave Joey his Puzzle, she remembered everything. She looked around, realized what happened, and screamed. With that, the spell was broken and Tiki was freed from her mental prison.

Hearing her scream, Marik raced toward her. Turning around, he saw a demon in her eyes and it wasn't a friendly one. Growling, she literally spat in his face and jumped off the boat onto the ground. Grinning, she raced out of the shed, trying to find Yugi and Joey's duel.

Marik, wiping his face, was shocked that Tima was able to escape from his clutches and sent a team of Rare Hunters after her. They chased after her all over the pier until finally she spun around and faced them. A few minute later, she was running away again, leaving behind the Hunters on the ground moaning and groaning loudly.

By the time Tima finally found everyone, the duel was over, Joey was free from Marik's control, and everyone was safe. Tiki took over and raced up to her brother and friends. After everyone hugged her, she looked longingly toward Kaiba. He just scoffed and walked off with Mokuba behind him.

She thought of going after him but decided against it. Yugi tapped her shoulder and said to her, "You know…Kaiba was really worried about you. That's the reason why he agreed to duel with Lumis and Umbra, besides rescuing Mokuba. It was actually surprising, seeing him wanting to rescue you."

Tiki looked where Kaiba went and raced after him. Finding him, she called out to him. He turned around and looked at her, waiting for her to say something. Blushing deeply, she fumbled, "Um…thank you…for worrying about me…and wanting to rescue me."

Kaiba merely shrugged. "You're safe. That's all that matters." And with that he left.

Tiki stood there with stars in her eyes. She never seen him act like that for quite some time and she thought she never would. But she was happy that she got to see that side of him again. She then walked back toward her brother and friends whispering, "Thank you."

---

In their soul room, Yami and Tima were talking. Yami had her cover her tattoo, for he had a lot of explaining to do after all the garbage Marik fed her. "Look…I realize I've been a lousy husband lately. I don't blame you for thinking I had feelings for Tea, after seeing how I reacted all those times. But know this…Tea is just a friend to me. You are the most important thing to me in my life. Why would I want to betray the perfect woman? You have to believe me."

Tima looked away, letting tears fall. "I do believe you. It's just…hard to believe sometimes. Ai…I have something to tell you."

A few minutes later, Tima's head was laying on Yami's lap sleeping with him stroking her head. A few tears fell from her eyes and onto his lap. She had just told what Marik did to her. He let her sleep and thought to himself, 'Now you made it personal Marik! One way or another…I'll give you what you deserve!'

On to the next incident!


	22. An old enemy and a remembered event

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 22: An old enemy and a remembered event

The Battle City finals were taking place and Joey had just won against Odion, who was posing for Marik. Yami, out of suspicion, asked Tima if he was the same Marik she saw. Since he wanted her to have her tattoo covered throughout the rest of the finals since their duel was done, she was able to answer. She tried to tell everyone before that he was a fake but they weren't paying any attention. "No. I've been trying to tell you guys for a while now; that's not Marik. I'll say it again; he's a fake!"

Seeing the Millennium Rod that Odion carried shatter confirmed what she's been trying to tell them all this time. Racing up to him, Joey and Yami checked to see if he was all right while Tima stayed behind. Taking a little glance at the man who called himself Namu, she did a double take and gasped. 'That's Marik!'

Odion had just revealed Marik's identity as well and Tima slightly backed up out of fear and angry. Marik, struggling with the powerful evil that was inside him, looked at her weakly and smirked. "Long time no see…Ai!"

Tima growled. "I ought to have your head for what you did to me!"

Yami put in his two cents as well. "Do you have any idea what you did to her?"

Marik just grinned and continued on with what he was planning to do. Suddenly Malik started to break through. Hearing his voice telling Marik to let him out, Tima, recognizing the voice, gasped in terror. "No…no…not him! Anyone but him!"

It was too late; Malik emerged just as evil as he was three thousand years ago, if not more. Looking at Tima, he grinned evilly. "It's been a long time…your majesty." Seeing the look of terror on her face, he added, "I see you remember everything I did to you."

Tima screamed in terror, ran up to Yami, and hid behind him. Shaking in fear, she kept repeating, "Keep him away. Keep him away."

Yami took Tima in his arms and shouted toward Malik, "What have you done to her?"

Malik smirked with a very evil look in his eyes. "So…you don't remember. Just ask your wife…I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you!"

Yami decided against doing this after seeing how she was acting.

---

When Malik's duel with Mai began, he tried to get Tima to not watch since she was terrified of him but she insisted that she stay. 'I have to stay here…for my sake and the others.'

Finally, Mai summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra but unfortunately she was unable to use it since she couldn't read the chant on the card. So Malik got Mai chained to a tablet and said the chant. Joey tried to get her free but when he was unable to, he decided to use his body as a shield.

Suddenly Yami got up and took the attack for them. Tima was stunned because she remembered what it was like to be attacked by Ra. She tried to stop him but was too slow. "YAMI!" she screamed.

Facing her fear, she raced toward Malik screaming, "YOU BETTER STOP THIS!"

She tried to punch him but Malik caught her fist without even looking. Seeing who it was, he grinned evilly and made Tima's blood run cold. With his other hand, he grabbed her roughly by her neck and lifted her off the ground. Yami looked and saw what was happening. "TIMA WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Malik laughed and continued to strangle Tima with her struggling to get him to let go. "What's wrong Pharaoh? Suddenly weak because your wife is in danger? If that's the case…then allow me get rid of her!"

Still holding her by her neck, Malik threw Tima straight toward Ra's attack. Yami thought of saving her but couldn't move in fear of his friends getting hurt. Tima flew straight at the attack and hit it straight on. She screamed in agony. Dropping like a stone, she landed near Yami's feet, nearly dead.

Finally Ra's attack stopped and Yami collapsed as well. By the time he came through in massive pain, it was already too late; Mai's mind was banished to the Shadow Realm. He looked over at Tristan who was holding Tima and asked anxiously, "How is she? Is she alright?"

Tristan shook his head. "I don't know. She's not breathing and her heart's barely beating. We got to get her to a doctor fast!"

Nodding, Yami took Tima in his arms and raced to find a doctor. When they found one, the doctor took everyone to Yugi and Tiki's room and hooked Tima up to a breathing machine and a heart monitor and checked everything else out. When he was done, Yami asked, "Is she going to be alright?"

The doctor sighed. "You got her here in the nick of time. Right now she's barely alive. She's in a comatose state right now and there's not much hope. The next 24 hours will tell."

Yami didn't know how to answer. Finally he turned to his friends. "Can you leave us alone…all of you?"

Everyone understood and left him alone. Tea stayed a little longer and tried to hug Yami. Surprisingly he pushed her away roughly. She looked at him in shock but he didn't turn around or even realize what he did. "Please…don't touch me! Thanks to you, I almost lost her once before. With what's going on right now…where she could die at any time…I don't need sympathy! I just need to be left alone!"

Tea understood and left. Before she went out the door she turned and said, "If you ever need me…you'll know where I'll be." Seeing him nod, she smiled sadly and left.

Yugi appeared at his side upset by what Yami just did to Tea but decided against saying anything. Tiki appeared sitting on Tima's bed watching her dark side with a great deal of worry. Yugi watched his dark side, for a while not knowing what to say or do, when he noticed a tear falling from his eye. He took a closer look and, sure enough, Yami was starting to cry.

Yugi was shocked that his dark side was showing this emotion. He was about to wipe the tears away when he saw Tiki shake her head as a way of saying 'let them fall.' Yugi agreed and left the couple alone. Getting the message, Tiki touched Tima's cheek and disappeared as well.

Now alone again, Yami started to lose his cool. He was really steamed at Malik for hurting his wife but he was also mad at Tima for getting herself in that situation. Unable to stay under control, he finally let it all out. "Why did you do that Tima? I had you cover your tattoo for a reason! We knew how dangerous Marik was and I didn't want you in danger! ARE YOU THAT STUPID?"

With his judgment clouded with angry, he started to slap Tima but stopped before his hand reached her face. Shaking in sadness, Yami couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed next to Tima's side and cried. "Why…why did you do that? Do you want…to see me in pain?" he whispered.

Pulling his head up, he looked at Tima's face and felt his heart rip in two. She looked dead with the breathing mask covering her mouth and nose. The heart monitor was showing a slow but steady heart rate. Her face was completely pale and devoid of life as it once was. He didn't have to lift her up to see her back for he already figured that it was burned.

Inching himself closer, he was about to remove her breathing mask and kiss her when the monitor in the room lit up with an announcement that the final duel was about to start. He sighed, whispered in her ear, "I'll be back," and left to watch the duel.

Will Tima awake or will she remain like this forever? Find out next time!


	23. Revived by a friend

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 23: Revived by a friend

The first half of the Battle City finals was now over. Malik's victim list had now grown to include Ryou and Rose (not including Bakura and Yima), along with Tima and Mai. Everyone had retired to their rooms for the night, anxiously awaiting the next half of the finals. Yugi and Tiki were the ones who were the most worried, since they were the targets and their friends were the ones who were getting hurt. Yami was worried about Tima and their aibous' lives but decided not to show in fear they would also feel his fear.

That night Tiki couldn't sleep. She couldn't get Tima's half-dead face out of her mind. Deciding with her brother, they went to their dark sides' soul room. Yami met them there with Tima laying down nearby on the floor with the Band-Age still on her tattoo. Yugi went to talk to his dark side while Tiki stayed back with her dark side.

Tiki touched and took hold of Tima's hand. As she was slightly squeezing it, she was thinking to herself, which she hoped would be able to reach Tima. 'You must really love him…to not being afraid of sacrificing your life to save him. I wish Seto could be like that with me.'

'He will be…someday.'

Tiki looked around but saw no one. She was certain that the voice belonged to Tima. Letting go of her hand, she got up and looked around some more. Reassuring herself that there was no one around, she sighed and looked back down at Tima, only to find a surprise. Tima's hand that Tiki was holding a while ago was moving!

Gasping, she called out to the two boys above her. "Guys! Guys, come down here! Tima…her…her hand's moving!"

When they heard that, Yugi and Yami were down in front of her before she could blink. Yami looked himself and confirmed it. "Tiki, any idea what caused this to happen?"

Tiki shook her head. "No. All I did was hold it for a few seconds."

Hearing this, Yugi got an idea. "Tiki, try putting both hands on Tima's chest. If simply holding her hand allowed it to move, maybe both on her heart will wake her up!"

Tiki raised her eyebrow in skepticism but resolved to do it when she saw the look in Yami's eyes. She closed her eyes and laid her hands on Tima's chest, right above her heart. She concentrated and felt her energy leave her body and transfer to Tima. After a few minutes, the strain became too much for her. She removed her hands and held her head for a minute to stop it from spinning.

Yugi and Yami went to her to see if she was all right. Nodding them off, Tiki watched Tima to see if it worked. At first it seemed like it didn't. Suddenly Tima stirred and opened her eyes. Looking at them, she smiled weakly. Yami hugged her gently and Yugi and Tiki looked on relieved.

A few minutes later, Yugi and Tiki had left the couple alone again. Tima was still too weak to get up so Yami sat down with her. He laid her head on his lap while she apologized. "I'm sorry. It's just…I couldn't let you die like that." Seeing his surprised expression, she nodded. "Yes, you could have died. I had to try…for your sake."

Yami nodded and held her head to his chest. "I understand…and I'm not mad. I was just worried. That's all."

Tima nodded but then looked very worried. Yami looked worried as well and she saw his look. Smiling, she said, "I just have a lot on my mind." To herself she thought, 'I thought he died all those years ago. What is he doing here again? Well either way…Ai destroyed him once before, he'll do it again!'

Yami wasn't done with her yet. He had a hunch about something and wanted to confirm it. "Tima, what are you hiding?"

Tima didn't understand what he meant. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, after Marik changed, you reacted in fear as if you knew the new Marik. Also, he said that…you remember what happened between you and him. What happened?"

Tima blushed in embarrassment and snapped, "Nothing and we will not bring this subject up again!"

Yami was surprised at her tone but kept it up. "What happened, Tima?"

Tima refused to reveal what she knew. Yami kept at it until she finally screamed, "I CAN'T TELL YOU! I can't! I want to…but I can't! You have to remember on your own!" With that, she got up and stormed off.

Yami was surprised that she knew something but couldn't say what it was. But he decided to leave it at that and started to walk in the other direction when Tima came back. "Wait. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have yelled. It's just…those memories…you alone can uncover. I can't help you."

Yami nodded and laid her down again. Stroking her face, he whispered, "I understand."

On to the next incident!


	24. Malik’s final plan

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 24: Malik's final plan

After a long time of waiting, Yami and Tima were finally going to battle Malik and destroy him. But of course, being the snake he was, he had a few new tricks up his sleeve. He summoned the Shadow Realm and chained Marik and Yugi to the wall, where they would be slowly and painfully banished with every life-point lost. As for Tiki, he brainwashed her and made her join him on his side. "This girl will be battling with me for the duel. Wherever I go she goes. That means if I get banished she gets banished as well. Oh…and don't think I forgot about your Tima, Pharaoh!"

With that, Tima appeared floating in a cross stance between them with dark energy covering her tattoo. Yami tried to go to her but Malik stopped him. "Uh uh uh. Unless you want your friends and lover banished to the Shadow Realm here and now, I suggest you stay right where you are!"

Yami, boiling with anger, stayed where he was growling. Malik smirked and looked up at Tima, who was looking at him straight in the eye showing she wasn't afraid. "I see you've gotten over your fear of me!"

Tima didn't answer; instead she spat in his face. Wiping the spit away, he raised the Millennium Rod and banished her. She didn't even have time to react before she vanished. Yami was shocked by what just took place. "MARIK WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" he almost roared.

Malik laughed evilly. "She'd just get in the way if she was here. But don't worry; you'll see her again…when you join her in the shadows! But you never know…the shadows are…always hungry for souls!"

Yami couldn't breath. "No…Tima can't be…"

Yugi had to get Yami back in the game. "Another I, if you find a way to defeat him you'll see Tima again! Besides don't worry about her; I'm sure she'll be able to handle it!"

Yami nodded. "I hope you're right," he said, half to himself.

---

Tima slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and saw nothing but shadows. "So this is the Shadow Realm. It's even worse in real life than from what I've heard. No wonder everyone's afraid of it."

While she was still looking around, she suddenly felt her Millennium Puzzle pull her toward somewhere. She looked down and saw that it was glowing and pointing straight ahead. She looked at her Puzzle, then at the direction it was pointing and shrugged. "May as well. Got nothing better to do," she muttered.

So she began to walk toward that direction. She continued to walk for what seemed to be ages. As she walked, she passed a number of different people, some of whom she didn't expect to see. She saw a lot of Rare Hunters who looked at her with a great deal of fear and respect. She saw Ryou and Rose huddled together, scared out their minds. She saw parts of Marik and Yugi as they were slowly becoming trapped with her. She even saw Mai trapped in her hourglass. She would have stopped to help them or at least let them know that things were going to be all right if this feeling hadn't told her to keep going. Her heart was telling her that, if she kept going and didn't stop, she would be able to help everyone who was trapped.

Finally her Millennium Puzzle stopped glowing and pulling her along. She looked around seeing she was all alone again and started to feel a little scared again. Suddenly she was falling through the floor. She was not really terrified for she knew there would be never a light at the bottom and that she was probably going to fall forever. However she was wrong.

Shutting her eyes, Tima tried to picture herself in another place. Unfortunately she didn't have time to picture any, for she landed right on top of something. She held her head in pain for a second, opened her eyes, and found that she landed on…Yami! Still scared but relieved to be out of there, she hugged him with all her might.

Yami, still recovering from the rough landing, hugged her back. Malik was starting to freak out, for none of his victims have ever returned. "How did you return? No one returns from the Shadow Realm! Ever!"

Tima smirked as she got herself and Yami up. "Apparently those with power can find a way out! Now…" she turned toward Yami, "shall we finish him off?"

Yami nodded, removed the dark energy from her face, connected with her, and finished Malik off, with some help from Marik. When he was gone, Ryou, Rose, and Mai returned and Marik, Tiki, and Yugi were all safe. Later on, when they returned to their soul room, Tima asked to spend some time with Yami. "I'm…scared…to be alone. After being there, I…I don't want to be alone."

Yami understood and held her for the longest time. Tima welcomed him by holding him as tightly as she could.

On to the next incident!


	25. The feeling of power and loneliness

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 25: The feeling of power and loneliness

Battle City has long since passed. Yami was, at the moment, in the middle of his duel against Raphael with Tima next to him with her tattoo covered with a band-age. He didn't know why but his heart told him that he needed to keep her out of danger. Therefore, that meant out of the duel. He was starting to argue with Raphael that he wasn't the evil Pharaoh he thought he was. Seeing Yami was getting nowhere, Tima decided to put her side in. "You're wrong, Raphael! My Ai wasn't the evil person you believe he was! He was the best Pharaoh Egypt ever saw! He didn't destroy Egypt; he actually saved it!"

Yami looked at Tima and wondered, 'How can she say those things and sound so confident? She knows about as much as I do…doesn't she?'

Raphael had a hard time believing her himself. "How would you know? You don't remember anything as well as the Pharaoh does!"

Tima smirked and said, "On the contrary, Raphael. Unlike my husband…I remember everything that happened!"

Raphael and Yami both didn't know what to say. Finally Raphael found his voice. "You lie! You don't remember a thing!"

Tima growled and was about to answer back at him when Yami stopped her, for he knew that he was running out of both options and time. He summoned Timaeus and fused it with his Dark Magician Girl but Raphael froze it in a block of ice.

He didn't like it but he knew his only choice of winning was the Seal of Orichalcos he got from Raphael. Just as he was about to play it, Yugi and Tiki stopped him by holding his arm back. They pleaded with him not to play the card but ended in vain for Yami pushed them away.

Tima saw what he was going to do and tried to stop him herself. She grabbed his arms and started yelling. "What are you doing? Are you crazy? That card's evil! It's stolen countless souls! You can't use it for good; that's impossible for this card!"

Yami tried to ignore her but that proved to be impossible with her yelling in his ear. Finally he pushed Tima away so roughly that she landed on the ground hard and scraped her arm. She clutched her arm in its stinging pain and looked at Yami in shock. He didn't even realize what he did; he just played the Seal of Orichalcos as if no one had tried to stop him.

When the seal started to form on the field, Yami's dark side surfaced. Yugi and Tiki were blown away from the magic and became trapped. Tima became trapped in the seal with no ways of escape. She felt the evil magic and her body rejected it. She screamed in immense pain. Cuts started to appear all over her body. They didn't bleed for some unknown reason but they still caused her a great deal of pain. They were apparently all over her body for red lines appeared her yellow dress.

Thanks to the injuries, Tima was unconscious for most of the duel. Yet her eyes remained open, still staring at her husband with a great deal of hurt and fear. Yami didn't even hear her screams and started dueling in a dishonorably way, sacrificing his monsters left and right, which was not like him at all.

When he started to show signs that he regretted his decision, Raphael summoned his last guardian card, Guardian Eatos. With the card's special ability, he was able to summon all of Yami's monsters from the graveyard to strengthen his guardian.

Yami was horrified by what he did to the monsters he once honored but Raphael wasn't finished with him just yet. "You say that you love your wife? Just look at what you did to her!"

Yami, fearing the worst, looked around and saw Tima, still starring at him. He felt his heart rip to shreds as he remembered what he did. "Tima…forgive me…" he whispered.

"No…I…will…not…" Tima murmured as she blinked and slowly got up, in a lot of pain from all the cuts on her body. Yami was about to go to her when she held her hand and shot him an angry look. "I don't know who you are you demon…but one thing's absolutely certain…YOU ARE NOT MY HUSBAND!" she screamed.

Yami felt his heart shatter. But he had other issues to worry about for Raphael unleashed his Guardian Eatos on him. He lost all his life points and was about to lose his soul…for good! Yet Yugi, Tiki, and Tima had different plans.

All three of them pushed him out but stayed as the Seal of Orichalcos started to take their souls. Yugi simply said, "It only needs one of us so I'm letting the seal take me instead." With that, he disappeared.

Tiki smiled and said, "Save the world…for our sake and for yours." After that, she disappeared.

Tima stayed the longest. She tried to keep standing but couldn't. She collapsed from the pain from her injuries. Yami would have gone to her if she hadn't held up her hand and looked up at him sadly. A tear slid down her face and she said sadly, "I am so sorry…I love you…goodbye…" Finally her soul and the Seal disappeared.

Yami fainted in shock and pain and Raphael threw him over to his friends. Yet, for some reason, he kept Tima's body. When he got on the helicopter, Alister was surprised that he kept her body. "Hey Raph, what's the queen's body for?"

Raphael smirked and said, "A token for Master Dartz. He mentioned that he wanted a queen and I thought she would be perfect."

Alister looked at his comrade, shrugged, and continued flying the helicopter toward their hideout.

---

Meanwhile, Joey, Tristan, and Devlin were trying to get Yami to wake up. He finally did, still in shock by what happened. He tried to hold his feelings in but he couldn't. He started crying silently. Joey asked how he escaped without getting his soul stolen when he noticed the tears. "Hey, is everything OK?" he asked.

Yami, struggling with his tears, answered. "No, everything is not OK. I didn't escape from the Seal of Orichalcos. They still got a few souls. Aibou…Tiki…my wife…they're all gone!"

---

At Dartz's palace, the three souls just arrived. Each was presented differently on each tablet. Yugi was trying to get out with a look of worry on his face. Tiki was pounding at the tablet, screaming. Tima, covered in all her cuts from the Seal, was the calmest out of all the victims. She simply stood there with her hands clasped together in a prayer and looked out with a sad and dazed look in her eyes. On closer inspection, there was a small tear going down her face.

---

Back at Death Valley, Yami couldn't hold it in anymore. He collapsed to his knees and screamed out, "AIBOU! TIMA!" He pounded the ground and just screamed.

Will Yami ever get his friends and loved one back? Find out next time!


	26. Conquering loneliness and darkness

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 26: Conquering loneliness and darkness

Throughout the whole journey, Yami was very depressed for what he did. But he had no idea what was being done to Tima's soulless body. When Weevil and Rex arrived at Dartz's office to try to get the power of the Orichalcos, they saw the chair up front turn around and Dartz sitting there.

Raphael said that the mission was accomplished; that the Pharaoh's and the Queen's souls were taken. Dartz and Valon, coming out from behind a curtain, said that he was only half right; only Tima was taken, along with Tiki. Yami was still in the world; Yugi was taken instead. Trying to make up for his mistake, Raphael took Tima's body and set it on the table. "As an act of apology, I present to you the body of the queen."

Rex and Weevil were stunned that "Tiki" was soulless and was now being offered like a sacrifice. At first Dartz was going to tell Raphael to get rid of her body but then stopped. Thinking for a minute, he smiled and said, "Bring her to me."

Raphael picked up Tima again and presented her to him. Standing up and taking her in his arms, Dartz put an Orichalcos Stone necklace around her neck. She sort of lifted out of his arms and floated for a minute. She glowed bright green like the Seal of Orichalcos which made everyone shield their eyes.

When the light disappeared, she returned to Dartz's arms and he stood her up and let go. Surprisingly, she stood on her own and turned around. Her head hung low and there didn't seem to be anything different about her, except that all her visible cuts and red lines on her clothes were gone. But when she lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes, everyone but Dartz got a big surprise.

The Seal of Orichalcos was now on her forehead and her eyes were pure evil and like black holes. Dartz smiled evilly and put her arm around her. "This girl may be soulless at the moment but the power of the Orichalcos now runs through her, giving her life. As of this moment, she is no longer the girl I told you about. She is now our queen."

Tima said nothing but smiled very evilly. Then, seeing Rex and Weevil, she groaned. "What are those two losers doing here?" she asked in an evil voice that didn't sound anywhere near her own.

Dartz finally noticed them and wondered the same thing. Raphael explained that they just followed them here. Tima crossed her arms and growled, "Next time, be more aware of what's going around you! If you did, they wouldn't be here! Ugh…no wonder you got those two mixed up."

Raphael silently growled, not liking having her as a queen with her harsh tone and words. Dartz calmed her down by pulling her closer to him and allowed Rex and Weevil to explain themselves. While doing this, they sneak a peak at her. Noticing this, she scowled at them. That freaked them a little and they didn't look at her again.

When they finished, she said very harshly, "So you want the power of the Orichalcos so you can win duels? Please. You guys are the weakest duelists I've ever seen. Not even the Seal of Orichalcos can help you."

Weevil wasn't going to take any of her attitude. "Just give us a chance to prove it to you!"

Rex agreed. "One chance is all we ask for! When we succeed, we'll do whatever you want us to!"

Tima smirked evilly. "Even die?" she asked quietly but evilly.

They got really freaked out by her comment. They've never seen her like this. She got a wild look in her eyes and felt ready to perform that deed right then and there. But she slightly calmed down when Dartz held her tightly. Giving them the test, he let them decide if they were worthy. When they grabbed the stones, Tima wasn't impressed. "Wow. The losers can actually do something," she said very dryly.

---

Back at Death Valley on the train, Yami kept torturing himself for his two best friends and his wife getting trapped. He kept seeing Yugi and Tiki's smiling faces before they were taken. That alone would have made him feel bad enough. But he also kept seeing Tima's look of pain and sorrow. That in itself was torture. But there was one thing that kept ringing in his mind, what she shouted before the last attack by Guardian Eatos; "YOU ARE NOT MY HUSBAND!"

As he sat on the floor in his misery, he thought of something that he thought would take away the pain and was something he deserved. He was going to smash the Puzzle, thus killing himself. He took it off and was about to destroy it when he heard two females whisper in his ear, "Don't."

He looked around, trying to see for it was who told him not to. As he was looking, he remembered the promise that he made to Dark Magician Girl. Sighing, he put his Puzzle back on and rejoined Tea. What he didn't realize that it was the spirits of Dark Magician Girl and Tima who stopped him from making a grave mistake.

---

When Yami met up with Yugi and Tima with Iron Heart's help, he started to see the light. Surprisingly she didn't have her tattoo on her. He was confused at this but even more surprised at the fact that Tiki wasn't with them. Sensing his surprise and confusion, Tima said very coldly, "My tattoo doesn't appear in PURE spirit form. Pure, in the sense, that I'm not connected to you. And about Tiki; she's not about to go anywhere near you…not after what you did."

Yami felt guiltier by the minute but tried his best to put aside his feelings. When he tried to apologize to them, he could tell by their tone and harsh words that they were really mad at him. Yugi said that the only way to be sure that he was sorry was to face him in a duel. Yami, dreading it, agreed.

Before they started, he turned to Tima, who was standing next to Yugi and glaring at him coldly. "Tima…forgive me…please. My rage took over. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry."

Tima growled, "Why? Why should I forgive you? After all, I tried to stop you from using that card and you pushed me away. When you activated the Seal, you hurt me even more than the pushing. I have to live with the injuries every single day."

Yami was confused. Tima looked fine; there wasn't a single cut on her. She saw his look and scoffed. "I'm hiding them right now…but if you want, I'll show you them."

Raising her left hand next to her eyes, her form started to change. When she was done, Yami felt sick with even more guilt. Her left arm was the only part of her that wasn't badly damaged and it had a very bad scrape on it. The rest of her body, especially her face, was covered with cuts that looked extremely painful. There was even a cut going down her left eye, blinding it. Her dress was covered with blood red lines where cuts on the rest of her body were. Lowering her arm sharply, she said, "My soul was and is too pure for that evil magic. It rejected it and these cuts appeared. Thanks a lot…demon."

Yugi, having waited long enough, stepped in and started the duel. When he held up the Seal of Orichalcos, Tima reacted in surprise and fear. She tried to stop him but Yugi just roughly pushed her down, making her wince in pain of her cuts. Yami was shocked that Yugi did that. "Yugi, what are you doing? Can't you see she's in pain?"

Yugi just smirked evilly. "So what? I'm just acting the way you did when she tried to stop you. Or don't you remember?"

Yami thought for a minute and remembered that she did try to stop him and that he did push her down. Tima got up again, still in pain, and was about to try again when Yugi played the Seal. When the Seal appeared on the field, she groaned loudly and held herself in pain. Yami was getting sicker as he watched her react to the evil Seal's magic. Yugi just smiled evilly. "Do you know what she went through when you play the Seal of Orichalcos? Watch and you'll see!"

Finally Tima threw her head back and screamed in pain. This time, her cuts opened up more and blood came out of each of them this time. She collapsed to her knees, still hugging her body in immense pain. Seeing Yami's shocked face, she merely moaned quietly before she collapsed completely. Yami would have gone to her if Yugi hadn't stopped him. "Don't move! We're still in the middle of a duel, don't forget."

Finally, after seeing his aibou do what he did and having enough, Yami won the duel. He went to Yugi to apologize but Yugi merely smiled weakly and said that it was just a test. After telling Yami that he conquered his darkness, he told him, "Don't give up this fight. Remember, I am always with you.

When Yugi left, Yami went to Tima, who was still laying unconscious next to where Yugi was. Picking her up gently, he saw close up how painful the cuts looked. He felt her blood on his hands and his heart ripped apart. He hugged her tightly and started to cry. He got her blood all over him but he didn't notice or even care. "Tima…forgive me…I never meant…for you…to get hurt. I am so sorry…"

"Ai…?" a familiar voice whispered in his ear. He looked and Tima's eyes were about half open. She smiled sadly and whispered very weakly, "I know…you're sorry. It was…your rage…that did it…not you. I am so sorry…for calling you…a demon. I didn't…mean it."

Yami let his tears fall as he shook his head. "I don't care about what you said! All I care about…is you. You are my world. I miss you…every single day. But I promise you…I'm going to get you back…no matter what it takes. But there's something I must know…why did you let them take your soul?"

Tima winced in pain of her injuries and remembering that day. "I had to…make you realize…that you didn't…need me…all the time. It was meant…to make you…stronger. This fight…is something…you have to do…alone. I have to…go now…but remember…I am always…with you. Even if…my soul's not…here…I am always…in your heart."

Yami pinched his eyes close, releasing more tears. Suddenly Tima, with all her remaining strength, reached up and hugged him. He was surprised that she was doing this but hugged her back gently. To show her that he still cared, he pulled her back a little and leaned forward to kiss her. But just before he could, she disappeared. The blood on his face and body disappeared with her but, for some reason, the blood on his hands remained. Seeing and feeling the blood, he clenched his hands tightly in regret. He felt more alone than ever. But he knew she was still with him…living within his heart.

Will Yami be able to defeat this evil…without his wife by his side? Find out next time!


	27. A lover turned evil

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 27: A lover turned evil

Ever since that time when he met up with Yugi and Tima, Yami was trying more than ever to get everyone's souls back. But he became even more determined to stop Dartz when he, Kaiba, and Dartz met for the first time. A holograph of Dartz appeared on the ghost like form of the Great Leviathan. He brushed off the threats Yami and Kaiba were throwing at him and said, "You're in no position to be making demands…especially since I hold something very valuable to both of you."

Yami and Kaiba didn't know what he was talking about so Dartz decided to show them. He moved out of the way and revealed Tima with her back facing them. At first Kaiba and Yami didn't recognize her since they couldn't see her face and something didn't seem right. But she slightly turned her head with her eyes closed and they realized it was her. They were both relieved that she was alright but also stunned that she joined Dartz's side. Kaiba yelled out, "Tiki, what are you doing on their side?"

Yami agreed. "How could you betray us?"

Tima slightly laughed slowly but evilly as she turned fully around with her eyes closed and her hand covering her Seal. She then said in her evil voice that even gave Kaiba the chills, "You fools. I'm not the same girl you knew."

With that, she slowly opened her black eyes and revealed the Seal of Orichalcos on her forehead. Both Yami and Kaiba were stunned as Dartz seemed to be enjoying watching their reactions. He stood next to her and said, "She belongs to me now. Like she said, she's no longer the child you knew; she now lives by the power of the Orichalcos. So if I were you, I wouldn't do anything too hasty."

Having enough, Timaeus and Critias were summoned and Timaeus destroyed the hologram. Getting outside, Yami and Kaiba were barely able to escape unharmed. As they watched KaibaCorp being destroyed, Kaiba made a surprising vow then and there. "I'll find you, Dartz…and I'll destroy you for what you did to Tiki!"

Yami was very surprised at what he just heard. Slightly smirking, he said, "Kaiba…are you saying you actually care for Tiki?"

Kaiba growled, "You'd be like this too…if it was your girlfriend who was turned!" (1)

---

Afterwards, Dartz and Tima returned to the island. They waited in the soul chamber for Raphael to bring them the soul of the Pharaoh. Unfortunately for them, Raphael's dark soul was taken instead. Dartz was upset at Raphael's failure but not half as upset as Tima was. She had had it with the failures and she let Dartz know. "Too many. There have been too many mistakes. How about, next time, YOU go and take the Pharaoh's soul? You're the one who's after it, aren't you? So why don't YOU go get it?"

Dartz was getting really tired of Tima's attitude. Getting more annoyed by the minute, he growled, "Why don't you learn your place and stop telling me what to do, little girl?"

Tima was insulted by what he just called her. "Excuse me, but I am NOT a little girl! Stop calling me that! I'll have you know, I'm just as powerful as the Pharaoh, maybe even more!"

Dartz spat out, "If you were so powerful, the Great Leviathan would have been resurrected by now! You don't have any power at all! You are completely useless!"

They continued to look at each other, each one stewing in his or her anger. Then Tima thought of something as a comeback for what he just said. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it, have you ever even thought about the skills of your so-called 'henchmen' before? Because, in case you haven't noticed, either my Ai or his friends took ca—"

She stopped short and covered her mouth with her hand because she realized what she just said. Dartz heard it as well and was greatly surprised. He thought that all of her soul was locked away but, apparently, it wasn't. Eyes glaring, he starting walking toward her menacingly. "What did you just say?" he asked threateningly.

Tima backed up, freaking out. "Uh…nothing?"

Dartz's eyes kept growing narrower and his anger kept rising. "You said 'Ai' didn't you?"

Tima shook her head quickly, still backing up. Finally she reached the wall and had nowhere to go. "No! No, I didn't say it, I swear! Even if I did, I didn't mean it! Please, I beg you—"

Dartz didn't listen to her pleads. Instead, he roughly snatched her Orichalcos Stone necklace off her neck. Her eyes went dull from the void of life and she collapsed, soulless once again. As he watched, her cuts reopened from the loss of the magic that kept her alive. He merely scoffed and walked off, saying to himself, "I never should have given her this. She didn't have a purpose for me then or now and, therefore, doesn't deserve this."

---

Later on, Yami faced Dartz in the final duel at Atlantis. Dartz had already taken the souls of all of Yami's friends. On his feet, he had Tima's body lying near his feet. He had her there as a way to try to break Yami apart. He was also poisoning Yami's mind by telling him that everything that he did up to that point was meaningless. Yami tried not to listen to him but his words were getting through.

Finally, believing what Dartz was saying, Yami considered forfeiting the game. Dartz kept egging him on, saying that it was for the best. Yami started to slowly but surely sink deep into darkness. He realized that he had nothing and was nothing but a soul. Because of that, he believed that he should disappear because he had nothing left.

Sensing he hit his mark, Dartz started to close the Seal of Orichalcos around Yami. Yami didn't do anything to stop it, for he said that inside he had nothing. As he was thinking this, a single tear fell on the Millennium Puzzle. When it landed, a few amazing things happened.

The Seal was pushed back to its original position. Ghost-like appearances appeared around Yami to protect him. But something that wasn't supposed to happen did. In the place where the taken souls were being devoured, Tima's bubble started to glow. Looking around, she was trying to find out what was happening when suddenly the bubble somehow flew out and was absorbed back into her body.

She stirred, got up slowly still in a lot of pain from her cuts, and headed toward Yami. Dartz tried to stop her but some sort of force field kept him from going to her. She kept walking toward him and said weakly, "You're wrong…Ai. There is…still hope. Look deep…in your heart…and you'll…find it there."

Yami did look and there was the light of friendship. He realized that he still had friendship; that his memory was held together by the link of friendship. Still wanting him to fully believe, when she got in front of him, Tima kissed him deeply. 'Ai…if anything…even if the world is destroyed…we'll still have each other.'

Yami heard her words in his mind and felt her kiss deep in his soul. Feeling rejuvenated, he kissed her back. When they stopped, they discovered that her cuts were gone but she was still weak from the whole ordeal. Relieved to have her back, he had her sit down next to him, continued the duel, got everyone's souls back, and defeated Dartz with Tima by his side once again.

(1) Full story of them in "Confessions."

On to the next incident!


	28. Journey to the memory world

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters. Contains spoilers!

Chapter 28: Journey to the memory world

Yugi, Tiki, their dark sides, and all their friends had gone through a lot of adventures to reach this point. They battled Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, Marik and his Rare Hunters in Battle City, Noah and the Big 5 in his virtual world, the sorcerer Anubis at Kaiba's dueling dome, Dartz and his henchmen in Atlantis, and participated in the KC Grand Prix in the USA. But now it was time for Yami and Tima to recover their lost memories.

When the gang arrived in Egypt, Tea went to the souvenir shop with Tiki. Her main objective was to get something for Yami but she also wanted something else. When they were alone, Tea asked, "Tiki…you think you can get the other Tiki out for a minute? I need to talk to her."

With her eyebrow raised, Tiki shrugged, placed her hand where she knew Tima's tattoo was, and tried. To hers and Tea's surprise, Tima came out. Smiling at Tea, she said, "What can I do for you?"

Tea started looking for something to give to Yami while continuing to talk to Tima. "Tima…remember that day when you, Yami, and I discovered the tablet in the museum?" Tima nodded. "Remember in the coffee shop beforehand? I got the feeling that you knew more about yours and Yami's past life. Is that true?"

Tima, half-listening, looked at a couple of pendants and lit up. "Ooh, Tea, get this for Ai. It's in the same shape as the one on the tablet where our names were scratched off. Also…can I have one too?"

Tea nodded and bought the two. Putting Tima's pendent on her, she said, "You still haven't answered my question."

Tima looked momentarily sad. "I'm actually trying to avoid the question. But…I think it's alright for me to tell you. Your instincts are correct; I know…everything that happened between him and me and what happened after I died. I even know…his real name."

Tea was shocked. "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?"

Tima looked at Tea very seriously. "I made a promise to Anubis never to reveal what I knew when he and I came back. It may sound crazy but, in a way, it's for his protection. He needs to face those memories by himself. He won't get any help from me because I died before him. But I know he'll be fine. Heck, he's gone through a lot of stuff to reach this point."

Tea smiled slightly. She didn't like the idea that Tima knew what Yami needed to know and that she couldn't say but decided against saying anything. As they were heading for the door, Tea thought of something else she wanted to know. "Hey…what's YOUR true name?"

Tima chuckled. "Come on, Tea. I thought you knew. After all, I told you that day…and Ishizu called me by my name in the museum."

When she said that, Tima's name appeared on the pendant in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Slightly smiling, she hid it behind her dress and Tiki took over again. Knowing what she wanted to know, Tea smiled and they rejoined their friends.

---

As they were heading down the stairs toward the tablet, Tima, with her left hand covering her tattoo, noticed Yami looking anxious. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked.

Yami slightly smiled. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. To tell you the truth, I'm getting…nervous."

Tima smiled and took his hand with her right. "You'll do fine."

Yami smiled more and squeezed her hand. "At least we'll face our memories together."

Tima, looking a bit sad, let go of his hand and went faster down the stairs. Yami was surprised by her actions. "Tima? What's wrong?"

Tima didn't slow down or even turn her head around. She just answered sharply, "Just hurry up or I'll leave you behind."

Yami was surprised at her out-burst. Tima continued on at the same speed until she caught up with Marik. He happened to overhear what they said and casually mentioned it to her. "What was that about?"

Tima looked away. "He thinks I'll be with him in the memory world."

Marik immediately understood what she meant by that. "I see. And you didn't tell him the truth because…"

Tima sighed. "I promised Anubis I wouldn't."

Feeling his heart squeeze, Marik stroked her shoulder softly. "I'm going to miss you, Tima."

Tima was a little startled by his action but smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you too."

Once everyone arrived at the place where the tablet was, Tea gave Yami his pendent. Tima rolled her eyes at Tea's blushing face but decided against saying anything. In front of the tablet, she held Yami's hand with her right. Taking a deep breath, Yami showed the 3 Egyptian God Cards to the stone tablet. The Millennium Puzzle near the top of the tablet started to glow brightly. Everyone shielded their eyes except Tima who instead removed her hand that covered her tattoo. Yami, looking for a brief moment, saw the tattoo turn to ink outside her face and slide down her face. She smiled at him, squeezed his hand, and they entered the tablet.

Looking behind her, Tima saw Bakura and Yima follow them ready to re-live their times of harassing the Pharaoh. Yami tried to look back with her but she shook her head and said, "Just trying to see if I can get one last look at the gang." To herself, she thought, 'Nice bluff, Tima.'

As they got closer to the memory world, Tima seemed to be deep in thought about something. Yami was about to ask what she was thinking of when they reached their destination. He stared in amazement at their old home as Tima said, "Welcome home."

They changed into balls of light and went their separate ways. Yami went toward the palace while Tima went somewhere on the other side of the city. When Yami woke up, he was in shock from all that was going on but decided to play along. Once inside the palace, he almost blow his cover of not knowing anything when he called Isis, Seto, and Shimon by the names he knew them as. Quickly recovering, he told them that he wasn't tired as they thought he was and to continue.

---

Far away, Bakura and Yima woke up in their original bodies and grinned, for the game had begun. Their servants arrived and released them from the chains. Since her tattoo was covered by her cloth, Yima growled at them. "About time. Couldn't get here fast enough, could you?"

Bakura stopped her from going on. "Enough. They're here and that way, we can begin this game."

Yima immediately understood what he was talking about and grinned as well.

---

Back at the palace, during all the celebrations, Yami looked around, wondering where Tima was. Finally he asked Shimon, "Where's Tima?"

Shimon looked shocked but then sad. "Still in denial after all this time? I would have thought you would have moved on since then. Well, if you really must be reminded…" Yami, wondering what he meant, nodded and Shimon continued, "The Queen is dead…don't you remember? She took a sword that was meant for you and died a few weeks ago."

Yami, registering what Shimon just said, remembered that horrifying scene and clutched his heart in pain. Shimon was going to attain to him when Yami shook him off. His friend understood. "Remembering?"

Yami nodded. "Yeah…I remember. It's just hard to face myself sometimes…knowing that it was me that man wanted to kill."

Shimon nodded and returned to watching the banquet. Yami thought to himself, 'Man…why did I have to remember that first?'

---

Far away, in the Pharaoh's tomb sitting before a cartouche with her husband's real name on it, the ghost of Tima was watching a magic screen she created. She produced it so that she could watch all the major things that would happen (1).

She was at the moment watching her husband and smiled sadly. She wanted so badly to join his side and fight with him but she knew she couldn't. "How can I…when I'm dead?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked around and saw Anubis. She bowed before the God but he picked her up. "There is no need for that, child. When the time is right, you will be able to help the Pharaoh. I will let you know when that time is."

---

That night, Yami went to bed thinking of everything that he learned about his past so far. "Hard to believe that I was able to do this all this and more. Still wish Tima was here, though."

For a long time, he lay awake thinking. When he finally fell asleep, he started to dream. He was standing in what appeared to be a long hall way that went on forever. Suddenly Tima's ghost appeared before him. Yami was so happy to see her that he tried to hug her but passed right through her. He looked at her in confusion but Tima just smiled and started to walk away, motioning for him to follow.

He did and they started to walk. Being more relaxed and happy that she was there, he asked, "How are you doing?"

Tima didn't answer, just kept walking. Yami tried again to talk to her and failed. Finally she turned around and faced him. With a single finger, she gently touched him between the eyes. A bright light appeared there and Yami remembered everything about him and Tima from when they met to when they married and every other memory that didn't include their children or his name.

When she removed her finger, he collapsed forward from receiving too many memories at once. She was somehow able to catch him and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry…but I felt like I had to at least let you remember our time together."

Laying him down on the ground, she kissed him on the cheek and disappeared. Yami opened his eyes to find himself back in the memory world in the morning. Running his hand through his hair, he thought, 'Was that just a dream? It can't be…why else would I…remember?'

---

Back at the tomb Anubis was yelling at Tima. "How dare you make him remember something when I didn't give you permission to do so! You are only supposed to do that when the time is right and what you did was too soon for him!"

Tima would have said a snide remark if it wasn't a God talking to her. Instead, clenching her fist and gritting her teeth, she just nodded once sharply and continued to watch the magic screen.

She continued to watch all the highlights of the memory world. She saw Seto first meeting Kisara, Bakura attacking the priest Mahado, Mahado becoming the Dark Magician, and Yugi and his friends going through the memory world.

---

When Yami was fighting Bakura, he became unconscious by losing too much Ba in the fight. Just then, Yugi and his gang showed up. When Yugi reminded his dark side that he still had the power of friendship, something unexpected happened.

Looking into Yugi's eyes, Yami suddenly remembered his children and all the memories that Tima didn't include, still not his name. He whispered, "Osiris…" Before Yugi could ask him what he said, he got back up on his horse and continued to fight.

Back at the tomb, Tima was extremely surprised that he remembered all those memories on his own. Anubis showed up, obviously angry, and said, "Tima…did you help him again?"

Tima shook her head slowly, still staring at the screen. "No…I didn't do anything. This is something…he did on his own."

---

A little while later Anubis returned with an important job for Tima to do. "It's time for him to remember a few things."

Tima nodded and listened as he whispered instructions in her ear. She smiled and watched her screen a little longer, waiting for the right moment. She saw Yami unconscious in a cave the morning after the battle with Bakura. Seeing the God nod, she put her finger through the screen and touched Yami in the same place as she did in the dream.

Thanks to that touch, he remembered a little more about his life; his birth, his first steps, and when his Father confessed to the ancestors about the Millennium Items. When he woke up, she saw his eyes again and smiled lovingly. Anubis touched her shoulder and said, "You did well, child."

---

Meanwhile outside, Mana was practicing a spell on some fish and failed when the gang came up from behind. Turning around, she saw Yugi and almost fainted. "Osiris! I thought you died seven years ago! Have you come from the dead?"

Yugi's eyebrow raised in confusion. "You must mistake me for someone else. I'm not who you think I am."

Finally everyone met up with Yami once again. After Yami explained what was going on, Tiki had to ask him something. "Um, another Yugi, when you saw my brother yesterday, you called him Osiris. Why?"

Yami smirked. "It was a piece of a memory that Tima conventionally left out when she visited me that night."

Tiki's eyebrow rose slightly. "Tima? Speaking of which, where the heck is she?" She started to look around.

Yami shook his head. "Technically, she died a few weeks ago. A mad man wanted me dead and…she took the death stroke instead of me. But anyway, she visited me in a dream a few days ago. She gave me back most of our memories except for my name and those with our children in them. Which brings me to your question; in a past life, Yugi…was my son."

Everyone looked at Yugi whose face grew a little red. Yami chuckled. "Yes, Tima and I had twins named Osiris and Myrrh. Myrrh has also been reborn as Rebecca. Osiris and I were really close. That's why it really hurt when he…you see, when he was nine, Osiris died from a mysterious illness. Tima was with him when he died but…I never got the chance to say good-bye to him. So…"

"That's why you've always been so protective of me," Yugi finished, looking a little down. "It was just an unconscious feeling of not wanting to lose Osiris again."

Yami nodded. Seeing the hurt in Yugi's eyes, he put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't get the wrong idea. Even if you weren't my son in this lifetime…I would still be protective of you, aibou. You are my best friend…past or not."

Yugi smiled, feeling better. Tima smiled as well and continued to watch over the memory world. When the gang reached the place where she and Yami's true name were, she hid and watched them go on looking for Tristan who was possessed by the Bakura of present times. Once they were gone, she came out of hiding and said to herself, "It's not time for them to see me yet."

She continued to watch over her husband until the time when he fully remembered his name thanks to the help of their friends. As she continued to watch him, she started to glow brightly. Finally, when he shouted his name, she was suddenly transported out of the room.

After Atem heard his Father speaking to him telling him how to defeat Zork, he felt someone touching his shoulder. He looked behind him, expecting Yugi or one of his friends, but instead there was…Tima in her own body in her favorite outfit. He stood there in amazement for a few seconds. She just smiled and said, "You remember everything now. I shall now help you in the final fight."

Glaring at Zork Necrophidius, Tima moved next to Atem, closed her eyes, and raised her right hand out toward him. Atem closed his eyes as well and touched her hand with his left. Because of their love for each other, they glowed for a minute and a glowing replica of Tima's tattoo appeared where the original once was. Connected once again and strengthened by their love and the power of friendship, they summoned all three Egyptian Gods. Combining them into the Creator of Light Halakti, they defeated Zork Necrophidius and returned to the present world.

---

Once back, they made the decision to return to the world beyond, where they belonged. In order for them to do that, Atem had to be defeated in a duel. Yugi was the only one who could do it since he was once of royal blood. He didn't like the fact that he had to fight his best friend and his father from a past life but he also knew that he had to do this.

(1) To put it simply, she'd be watching the episodes

How will the final duel be like? And have you ever wondered what Marik's REALLY thinking? Find out next time!


	29. A confession and the final duel

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters. Contains spoilers!

Chapter 29: A confession and the final duel

That night, on the way to the predestined place for the final battle, Tima started thinking about all the memories that she and all her friends had while she and Atem were waiting for Yugi to finish building his deck. She smiled, chuckled, and sighed at each memory she could think. She got Atem with all her noises but she ignored him. The last one, the one of Marik stroking her shoulder, made her think. 'Why did he do that? Why did he look so sad? I mean, I know he said he loved me that one time…but that was just to mess with my head and turn my back on Ai, wasn't it? But…what if it wasn't? What if Marik really DOES love me? Now what? How's he feeling right now?'

Those and many other questions ran through her mind for quite a while. All the questions made her head spin. Having enough and wanting an answer, she came to the decision that she had to do something to clear up the confusion. She looked at Atem and asked nervously, "Ai…is it alright if I go talk to Marik…for a while?"

Atem raised his eyebrow. "Why? Why do you want to see him?"

Tima slightly blushed, growing uneasy. "Well…he said that one time after his Rare Hunters kidnapped me that…he loved me. Also, on the way to the tablet after our little…blow-out, I got the feeling that he really does in fact love me. I just want to know if he does or not and give him something to remember after we're gone."

Atem jumped to conclusions about what his wife was saying. "Are you saying you want to spend the whole night with him?" he asked through grit teeth.

Tima shook her head and took his hand. "No. Even if I DO do something romantic, it'll be nothing more than a kiss. You're the only one for me. You know that. I just don't want Marik to be…TOO hurt…when we go if he really does…love me."

Atem didn't like it but agreed none the lease. "Fine. Go see him. Just don't let your heart be…swayed," he snapped as he turned around sharply.

Tima was a little ashamed by what she just did but knew that she had to do this. She went and talked to Tiki about it. Tiki was helping Yugi build his deck when she agreed with Tima and started to leave. Yugi looked up and asked, "Where're you going?"

Tiki stopped at the door and said, "Tima needs to do something. I'll be back soon." With that she left.

---

Marik was currently in his room with his family. He was really upset that Tima was going to be leaving the next day. He knew that he would never see her again and that hurt him deeply. He wanted to go and tell her how her felt but figured that that would hurt her and he didn't want that. Giving up, he was about to go to sleep in his sorrow when he heard someone knock on the door. Ishizu answered and there was Tima. "My Queen…what can I do for you?" she asked respectfully.

Tima looked at her and asked sadly, "Can I talk to Marik…alone, please?"

Ishizu noticed the sadness in her voice and got a little worried but nodded. She and Odion left and Tima went in, closing the door behind her. Marik was glad that they were alone but had also heard her sadness. "Tima…I mean my Queen—"

Tima slightly smiled. "It's OK. You can call me Tima."

Seeing the sad look in her eyes, Marik went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tima…what's wrong? You look so…sad."

Tima looked away in her sorrow, unable to look at him. "Marik, there's something I have to know. What you said on the boat that time…when you said you loved me…did you mean it…or was it just your evil saying that…just to make me turn from Ai?"

Marik's eyes immediately saddened. He hesitated for a moment and Tima noticed that his hands were starting to shake. Looking at him, she noticed that his whole body was shaking and that his head was down, making her unable to see his eyes. Still shaking, he said in a sad voice, "I meant it…and I STILL mean…to this day."

He looked at her with teary eyes. Tima looked ready to cry herself, for she had never seen him like this and she was afraid that he would say what he said. Unable to control himself, he hugged her with all his might. He felt a tear falling and let others fall freely. "I love you, Tima. Even though I know we're from different eras…and that you're married…I can't help it. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here…and be with me. Is there anyway that can happen?"

Tima started to cry as she heard Marik confess his heart to her. She hugged him tenderly and said with great sadness, "Marik, you know that's impossible. Atem and I are connected…and I don't belong here. Even if I DID stay…my heart would still belong to Ai…and because of that…I would be miserable. I know you know that…but I also know…you don't want it to be true. But let me tell you something…if I met you before Ai, in either this era or my previous one…my heart would belong to you."

Marik looked at her in astonishment through his teary eyes. "Tima…do you…mean that?"

Tima nodded with a couple tears still falling. Marik wiped the tears away and she forced a little laugh. "This is just like last time. You and I were hugging after you convinced me that…Ai didn't love me anymore and you wiped away my tears…just like now.

Marik nodded as he remembered that day. That was the happiest day of his life, being alone with Tima and having her love him back…even if her feelings were fake. Slightly smiling, he asked, "Tima…can I…kiss you?"

Tima's eyes grew wide at his boldness. Getting the wrong idea, Marik let go of her and sat back down on his bed. "Forgive me, I don't know what came over me. Of course you can't kiss me…that would be very unfaithful."

Even though he knew that, it was still very hard to admit. Before he could stop them, a couple sobs escaped him. He covered his face with his hands, not wanting her to see him like this. But, unexpectedly, he felt Tima sit down next to him and rub his back in a comforting way. He turned to her and hugged her again, refusing to let her go. She smiled sadly and said, "It's alright. I told Ai that you and I might kiss and he was fine with it…I think. So you can kiss me…if you still want to."

Marik smiled and kissed her deeply. He took all the time in the world to make up for not seeing her ever again. Finally he stopped, having run out of breath. Tima stood up sadly and went to the door. Marik went with her, wanting to spend more time with her. As she reached for the door, he stopped her and pulled her into one more tight hug. "Can't you stay…just a bit longer?" he asked.

Tima shook her head. "Sorry. I have to get back. But, if you want, you can kiss me again."

Marik did and dipped her this time. When he stopped, they looked into each other's eyes, almost living the moment. But he let her go and turned away, not wanting to watch her leave. As she was walking out, she looked back and said quietly, "Marik…" He didn't look at her so she touched his shoulder and left.

When he was alone again, Marik felt like the world had ended…at least, for him. He had once again confessed his feelings to the one person he loved and she rejected him. "Whoever said it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?" he wondered to himself. He chuckled half-heartedly, then started to cry again.

When Ishizu and Odion came back a while later, they found him looking out the window, face stained with tears and a few more still falling. After making sure he was alright, Ishizu gave him a thick envelope. "The Queen wanted you to have this," she said.

Wiping his eyes, he opened it and first found a hand-written note. It said, "Marik, I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you but I'll treasure the time we had just a few minutes ago. I believe that you and I have gotten closer during those few moments than most people do in a lifetime. Here are a few things to remember me by. Tima."

Looking in the envelope, he found a picture and a locket necklace. He first opened the locket and found a lock of hair inside. He immediately recognized the lock to be Tima's and slightly smiled. He then put the necklace on, looked at the picture, and gasped silently. It was of Tima smiling. He held the picture to his heart and sighed happily. He refused to let his family see what he got, put the picture under his pillow, and went to bed, feeling a little better than before.

---

When Tima returned, she found Atem waiting for her with a scowl on his face. "Did you get what you wanted?" he asked coldly.

Tima nodded, not looking at him. Atem went to her and made her face him. "He kissed you, didn't he?"

Tima looked away again. "I bet you don't want to kiss me anymore…now that someone else has."

Atem shook his head and took hold of her chin, making her face him. "You're wrong. Granted, I am mad that you two did what you did…but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. It's in the past and we can't undo it. And about not wanting to kiss you…let me prove you wrong."

With that said, he smiled in a sly way and pulled her into an intense kiss. Tima was surprised at first but then melted in his arms and returned to the kiss. Ending it, Atem pulled her toward the table and asked, "Want to help with my deck?" Tima nodded and they started making up his deck for the final duel.

---

When they arrived at the place where the final duel would take place, Yugi, Atem, Tiki, and Tima split into separate bodies. Tiki watched the duel next to Yugi while Tima waited in front of the gate for Atem to be defeated.

During the duel, Tima and Atem were not connected like in any other duel. But when Atem sacrificed Queen's Knight, Jack's Knight, and King's Knight, she clutched her left arm, collapsed to her knees, and acted as if she was in pain. Marik would have gone to her to see if she was alright if she hadn't looked up with a strange look in her eyes. To everyone's surprise, the glowing replica of her tattoo appeared on her face again.

She recited the chant with Atem and even shouted for Ra to appear with him. When the Winged Dragon of Ra was summoned, the glowing tattoo disappeared, she stood up, and acted as if nothing happened. When she looked, she saw Tiki looking at her with wide eyes. "Tiki, in order for Ra to work, I had to recite the chant with Ai. Also, Ra was Malik's Ka. That's why I reacted in pain…in remembrance of what he did."

Later on, when Tiki went up to her and asked why she didn't participate, Tima merely smiled. "I was a peasant who only became Queen because of Ai's feelings for me. Without him…I am nothing. I am not of royal blood and only those of royal blood can do this. Therefore, my Ai and Yugi are perfect for this. Besides, all the tests he had before, whether I was with him or not, were all leading up to this. He alone has to face this."

Finally the battle was done and Yugi was the victor. Tima reached out her hand and Atem took it. The wedjet eye was glowing and he knew how to open the gate. "My name is…Atem!"

With that, the gate opened and the couple started toward the light. But their friends stopped them. They begged them not to leave them. Tea was the one who did the most pleading. She told them she didn't understand their choice at all but Joey stopped her. He said that it was a good thing that she didn't understand; that way they would always remember their story.

They appreciated what Joey just said and started to walk into the light again. But Tima held back. Atem looked at her in confusion and she said, "Wait a moment…there's something I want to do first."

She looked at him, her eyes telling him what she was going to do. Sighing, Atem let go of her hand and said sharply, "Fine. Hurry up."

Tima quickly turned around, ran to Marik, and gave him a hug, crying. Everyone except Atem (who was looking very annoyed) was too stunned to move for a moment. But, slightly smiling, Marik returned her hug. She then said through tears, "I think I'll miss you most of all, Marik."

Marik rested his head on her shoulder. "Not half as much as I'll miss you. But know this…even if you're far away…you'll always be in my heart," he said.

Looking at Atem, he mouthed "Don't kill me for this." As Atem was wondering what he meant, Marik kissed her deeply. Everyone was stunned by this. Atem was growing angrier by the moment but remained where he was. Finally Marik stopped, let her go, and turned away. Tima, blushing deeply, put her hand over her mouth as he said, "You better go. Your husband's waiting for you."

Tima nodded, touched his back for a moment, joined Atem's side, and took his hand. She could tell that he was really mad so she kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. Atem looked at her for a second, smiled, and kissed her forehead. She looked at him and smiled.

Tima took one last look at Marik, who had turned around enough to watch her go. She smiled at him and he smiled back. After saying their final good-byes, the royal couple walked into the light. Their clothes changed into their clothes of royalty. The door closed and everyone knew they would never see them again…or would they?

What do I mean by that? Find out next time!


	30. Atem’s feelings and Tima’s decision

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 30: Atem's feelings and Tima's decision

A few months had gone by since Atem and Tima rejoined their friends and family in the world of the dead. Even though he was around his old friends, Atem started to regret his decision of leaving his other friends. He missed them very much but knew in his heart that he and Tima could never return to that world. Because of this, he kept his feelings to himself, not wanting anyone to know what he was thinking.

Finally Tima noticed what was going on with him. She was talking to Mana and Myrrh when she noticed Atem walk off looking a little sad. She stopped Mana from going on and followed him. She saw Atem sit down near a river and approached him. "Ai…are you OK?"

Atem turned around, saw her, and nodded quickly. "Of course. Why would I not be OK? We're here with our friends and family and are finally at peace."

Even though he said that, Atem's eyes didn't convince her. Tima sat down next to him and held his hand. "Don't play innocent with me. You're way too easy to read. I can tell; you're missing Yugi and our friends."

Atem knew she see right through him and sighed. "Yeah…I am. What's really disappointing is the fact that I know we'll never see them again."

"Well, that's not true; we can see them again," Tima said, lying between her teeth.

Atem shook his head and got up. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Tima…but you and I both know the truth. We're dead and they're alive. There's no way for us to be with them…like before." With that, he walked off, sadder than ever.

Tima watched him for a while and shook her head in slight disbelief. 'You think I don't know what you're going through, Ai? I am; I miss them just as much as you do. But what can I do to get rid of these feelings? Wait a minute…I wonder if the Gods can help us. May as well give it a try. Don't know what harm it'll do.'

Ignoring her friend and daughter calling her back, she started to head toward where she knew Gods Anubis and Osiris were. Standing before the great door, she took a deep breath and knocked three times. A mighty voice inside said, "Come."

Extremely nervous, Tima opened the door and stepped in. Looking up, she saw the God of the underworld and the God of the dead. She immediately bowed before them. Osiris rolled his eyes by her response. Anubis, used to this from her, beckoned her to rise. She did but kept looking down at the floor. Osiris looked down upon her and said roughly, "What reason do you have to come before us? Speak!"

Anubis stopped Osiris from going on and stepped in front of Tima. She turned her head away but the God brought her eyes up to his. "Tell us child. You do not have to fear us."

Tima was still a little hesitant but she knew she had to let out what she was thinking. "Actually…I have a request." Seeing them wait for her to continue, she sighed. "Please…let Atem and I return to the present world."

Both Gods were taken aback by what she said. Osiris was the first to speak up. "Tima, what you ask for…doesn't make any sense. Both yours and the Pharaoh's times are done. There's nothing left for you to do!"

Anubis agreed. "Yes, Tima. You and the Pharaoh have already served mankind in both Egypt and Japan. There is no more for you to do. Besides…a lot of time has passed since you've returned to this world. What brought this on?"

Tima bowed her head. "Atem. He's suffering from loneliness. He and I know we have our friends here…but they're not enough. He wants Yugi, Tiki, Joey, Tristan, Kaiba, Mai, Serenity, Duke Devlin…Tea." She spat out the last part for she didn't really like Tea for trying to take Atem for herself. "If he wasn't suffering like this, I never would have bothered you. But please, for his sake and for mine, let us go back!"

Anubis and Osiris didn't know what to say at first. They could tell by her tone and her eyes that she was being truthful. Finally, reaching a decision, they started to talk to her in hushed voices.

---

Outside the door, Anzu, Mai, and Shizuka were trying to listen to what was going on inside when Atem came up behind them. "What are you girls doing?" he asked them.

They jumped and Shizuka would have screamed if Anzu and Mai hadn't put their hands over her mouth. "Oh…uh…um…just…hanging out…" Anzu said, sweatdropping.

Atem raised his eyebrow in a playful way. "Uh-huh…and do you normally hang out in front of the Gods' room?"

The girls knew they were in trouble. Instead of answering, they just giggled nervously and took off. Atem shook his head in amusement and was about to go look for Tima when the door opened and she stepped out. "Oh, Atem! Good, you just made my search go a lot easier! Come on, Anubis and Osiris have wonderful news for us!"

Before Atem could even respond, she pulled him in. Recovering, he bowed before the Gods along with Tima. Anubis had them stand. Tima could hardly contain her excitement. Atem looked at her and raised his eyebrow at her fidgeting but straightened when Anubis cleared his throat. "Pharaoh Atem…Queen Tima…due to special request…" Tima smiled a sly smile, "…we're allowing you to return to the present world with your own bodies."

How about that? Find out how next time!


	31. Returning to friends

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 31: Returning to friends

Atem didn't know what to say. The two Gods before him had just told him and Tima that they would be able to rejoin their friends. To top it all off, they would have their own bodies again. Tima smiled excitedly at him but straightened up when Osiris cleared his throat. "Now there are some things we need to discuss before we return you to your friends."

They nodded and Anubis filled them in. "First, when we give you your new bodies, you won't have Shadow Powers anymore. The world has no need for them. Second, neither of you will have your Millennium Puzzle. They were destroyed along with the other Millennium Items when the tomb collapsed. Finally, your bodies will be regular bodies so you will age, feel pain, and get illnesses."

When Anubis finished, Osiris asked, "After hearing all this, do you still want to rejoin your friends in the present world?"

Atem looked at Tima trying to get her answer and she just smiled. "I'm ready. The question is…are you ready?" She held out her hand as a sense of showing him the way home.

Atem thought things over for a bit. Reaching a decision, he smiled, took her hand and turned back toward the Gods. "I'm ready."

Before the Gods could start, Atem thought of something, "Will you tell the others where we're going? We don't want them to worry."

Both Gods nodded and started to chant. Atem and Tima closed their eyes. Both started to glow brightly. Soon their glow engulfed the whole room. Then, just as soon as it had started, the glow was gone and so were Atem and Tima.

Opening their eyes, they saw they were falling down a dark tunnel. Tima was a little irritated by the way they were going back. "Drops! Why does there always have to be drops?"

Atem just laughed and enjoyed the ride. Suddenly a bright light appeared below them where an opening appeared. They had to shield their eyes from the light. They went though the opening and landed on something soft.

---

Atem opened his eyes when he heard laughter. He saw that they landed in a pile of leaves in Domino Park. Hearing the laughter again, he looked and saw Tima rolling around in the leaf pile. He laughed and said, "You're acting like you did on one of our play-dates! Come on, stop it. You're not eight years old anymore!"

Tima giggled and continued rolling. "Neither are you, for your information. But I can't help it! We're back and we have our own bodies!"

Atem chuckled and took a look at their new bodies. They both looked like they were about eighteen years old. He was wearing a black shirt with leather pants and a leather jacket. Tima was wearing jeans with a purple shirt and a jean jacket. As he was looking around, Tima surprised him by throwing a handful of leaves in his face. He laughed and threw a handful at her. She giggled and was about to throw another handful at him when she thought of something. "Hey, why don't we go surprise Yugi and Tiki?"

"How?" Atem asked, picking leaves out of his hair. "They'll recognize us instantly."

Tima got a sly gleam in her eye. "I know how…"

---

A little while later they stood in front of the Game Shop. Atem was a little annoyed at Tima's "idea." He was wearing a ski cap that covered all his hair and sunglasses. As for Tima, all she had was a scarf around her face. "How come I get a stupid cap and all you get is a scarf?" he growled.

Tima stuck her tongue out a bit. "They'd recognize you instantly if they saw your hair. As for me, I look like any other woman in this time, thank you very much."

Atem sweatdropped at her smugness. Tima just grinned, walked up the door, and said to him as she grabbed the doorknob, "Now remember…no talking either. They'd also recognize your handsome voice."

'Not what I wanted to hear at this time but I'll take it,' Atem thought to himself while he sweatdropped again. Tima took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in, with him close behind her.

---

Tiki was behind the counter working that day. She was a little lonely even though her brother was upstairs. She really missed Tima. She never admitted it to anyone but she saw her dark side as a big sister. "If only she didn't have to leave us," she said to herself. "I never did get a chance to thank her all the things she's done for me and my family and friends. I should have done that while she was still here."

When she heard the door open, she put on a happy face and welcomed the customer. As soon as she got a good look at the two of them, she eyed them a little oddly because of their accessories but knew better than to say anything from past experiences. The woman, through the scarf over her face, said to Tiki, "Good afternoon. My husband and I would like to buy some Duel Monsters packs."

Tiki lightened up. "Well then, you've come to the right place! The packs are right behind me. Also, feel free to look around and see if there's anything else you need!"

The woman nodded and looked at the packs behind Tiki. Tiki moved to the side so that the woman could get a better view. The man hung around looking at everything. After a while, the woman sighed. Tiki was about to ask what was wrong when her brother came down. "Hey Tiki, we got customers?"

Tiki nodded. "Yeah but I don't think we have what they want."

Yugi raised his eyebrow. "Hmm. Can you tell us exactly what it is you're looking for?"

The woman didn't answer. She just stared at Yugi. After a while she said, "I thought I recognized the girl from somewhere. You're Yugi and Tiki Mutou, the King and Queen of Games!"

Yugi blushed and barely nodded but Tiki jumped in. "Yes we are! I guess you've heard of us!"

Yugi smacked the back of her head. "Of course they know us. Ever since our first battle with Kaiba—"

Tiki shot him a cold glare. "You promised you'd never mention that in front of me again! Don't forget the guy you're talking about happens to be my boyfriend!"

The woman cleared her throat, catching the siblings' attention. "Yes, we know you. But we're not like the others. We know you like family because you two used to be our…………………aibous."

Yugi and Tiki's eyes grew wide when they heard that last word. The woman nodded to the man and they took of the pieces that were covering their identities. Once their faces were revealed, Yugi and Tiki stood frozen in shock. A few minutes later, everyone else came over for Yugi had called everyone over to hang out. They too froze when they saw Atem and Tima.

Finally Tiki was the first one to move. She took a few steps forward slowly toward Tima. Suddenly she leaped and landed on Tima in a big bear hug. By the force Tima fell backwards into Atem and all three of them went down. Laughing, everyone else joined in. They spend the rest of the day hanging out.

---

That night, Tima thought of something that would make a certain someone on the other side of the world very happy. Getting the phone-number from Yugi, she waited for the appropriate time (which was in the middle of the night for her) and called, getting more nervous with each ring. Finally, a familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

Tima smiled. "Hi…Marik."

Marik thought he recognized the voice but knew that was impossible. He knew that she had left for the other world a few months ago. "Who is this…Tiki?" he asked.

Tima giggled. "Marik, have you already forgotten the sound of my voice? It's me…Tima."

Marik's eyes grew wide at the mention of her name. "Tima? But…but that's impossible! You're supposed to be in the other world…aren't you?"

Tima shook her head and laid down on the couch. "Nope! I asked Anubis and Osiris to bring us back and they did!"

"Hey, that's great! It's great to hear your voice again! I thought I'd never hear it again. Oh, by the way, I never got to say thank you for the locket and the picture."

"You like them?"

"Like them? I LOVE them! I never take the locket off, despite what others say. You won't believe how many people tease me about it. But I don't mind. Also, your picture is framed next to my bedside. I actually…kiss it before bed every night."

Tima blushed. "Marik, you don't!"

Marik laughed. "I do! Hey, I can't help it! I'm in love!"

Tima felt a twinge of guilt when she heard that word. "Marik—"

"It's alright. I figured it out when you said 'bring us back.' Atem's with you, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Marik. You know I'll always love Ai."

Marik nodded sadly and grabbed his locket. "I know. I gotta tell you, it's a bit disappointing. You think you got another chance at the woman you love…and she's still not available. But don't worry; I can accept being friends."

Tima felt better. "Thanks, Marik."

She and Marik ended up talking for about an hour and a half. They talked about their past, how their lives were going so far, and any subject that came to mind. They would have kept talking if Tima hadn't yawned and said, "I'm sorry, but I got to go. It's in the middle of the night for us here."

"I understand. Hey, want to get together some time in the future?"

"I'd loved that. We'll talk again and figure out when."

"Great. Tima…I love you. You know I'll always love you…right?"

Tima slightly nodded. "Yeah. Just remember what I told you. If I met you first, you'd be my Ai. I still mean that."

"Thanks. I needed to hear that."

"Well, I'll talk to you soon."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Tima climbed into the sofa bed next to Atem and started to dream of her and Marik hanging out like the friends they would always be. Marik grabbed his framed picture of Tima and hugged it, happy that she was back but also sad for knowing that he'll still never have her.


	32. Life and engagement

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 32: Life and engagement

Ever since that day, Atem and Tima had been living with their aibous and helping out with the Game Shop. Atem worked in the back, unloading trucks and organizing everything. Tima was what Tiki called the "checkout girl" because she worked behind the counter and helped the customers.

When they first stayed, Yugi worried about their documents, like birth certificates, IDs, and that sort of stuff. But Tiki told him not to worry about it; that it was all taken care of. She asked Rebecca to hack into the national databank and forge everything. Once she was done, she made them eighteen years old and got Atem related to Yugi and Tiki. As for Tima, she remained Tima Tama from Egypt. Tima had personally asked Rebecca to do that because she wanted to marry Atem again someday.

A couple weeks after everyone was settled, Atem thought it would really cool if he and Tima went on a formal date. But before that could happen, he had to arrange a few things before he could ask her out. He had a very special surprise in mind for her but a few things had to be set up first.

Finally everything was set up for the big night, with a lot of help money-wise from Kaiba. At first he didn't want anything to do with it. But after a talk with Tiki, he gave in and helped out. So that afternoon Atem waited until the shop was closed and Tima was done with work.

When Tima started cleaning, he approached her from behind and put his hands around her waist. Tima was a little startled but started to giggle. "Atem…waited until all the customers were gone to move in, did you?"

Atem slightly laughed and rested his head on her shoulder. Tima, sensing something good was going to happen, dropped the broom and leaned closer toward her "boyfriend." Atem finally let out what was on his mind. "Tima…you free this evening?"

Tima smiled. "Yes, why? Want to have some…fun?"

Atem blushed at the type of "fun" she was talking about. Tima laughed at his reaction. "I'm kidding, about the fun part. I don't think we need an audience. Why do you ask?"

Atem turned her around. "Because I…would like to take you out on a formal date tonight…to celebrate our relationship."

Tima's eyes gleamed at that idea. After kissing Atem, she whispered in his ear, "I can be ready in an hour if you want."

Atem smiled and nodded and Tima raced upstairs to start to get ready, almost knocking Yugi over who was coming down. Atem rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm as Yugi approached him. "What's with her?" Yugi asked.

Atem smiled. "I'm taking her out on a FORMAL date tonight. Plus…" he motioned Yugi to come closer so he could talk in a low voice, "…I'm going to propose to her tonight. But she doesn't know that."

Yugi's eyes grew wide and he grinned. "Cool! She's going to flip when that happens!"

Atem nodded and was about to say something else when they heard a clatter behind the counter. Shaking his head amusingly, he reached over and touched the top of someone's head. Sweatdropping, Tiki came out and grinned anime style. "Heh heh…hi there."

Yugi wasn't surprised or amused. "You're always like this. I'll let you go this time; just don't tell Tima about this."

Tiki nodded embarrassed and headed upstairs. Atem turned to Yugi. "She's done this before?"

Yugi blushed and nodded. "She spied on Tea and I a few days ago when I asked her out."

Atem laughed and headed off to get ready himself. Yugi thought of something and asked him, "Atem…you don't mind I…date Tea do you?"

Atem just smiled. "Tea's just a friend to me. Besides…I've always known that you liked her. Anyway, why would I betray the perfect woman?"

With that, Atem headed upstairs to get ready himself. Yugi nodded and continued the work Tima was supposed to finish. An hour later, Atem came back down in a tux. Yugi was impressed. "Atem…not bad."

Atem laughed and head-locked his "little brother." Just then they heard Tiki clear her throat on the base of the stairs. She was smiling widely and looked ready to present something. "Gentlemen, may I have your attention please? May I present…princess Tima."

Tima slowly came down the stairs looking absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a simple white spaghetti-strapped dress. Her hair was curlier than ever and had some sparkles in it. She had on blue eye shadow, foundation, and ruby red lipstick on. Yugi nodded in approval but Atem was too stunned to say anything. Tima, rolling her eyes, said in her sarcastic tone, "Close your mouth before you catch flies."

Yugi and Tiki burst out laughing while Atem closed his mouth and shook his head. "Now THAT'S the Tima I know."

Tima smiled and took his hand. "Shall we go?"

Atem nodded and they headed out. Tiki watched them go with a sly smile on her face. "How do you think she'll react?"

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. We'll find out tonight."

---

Tima was a little nervous throughout the whole time. She'd never been out on a date before in either of her lives. She and Atem were in a pretty fancy place and had just finished their meal. She was having a very good time the whole time. But she could tell that Atem's mind was elsewhere. She was about to ask him what he was thinking about when he spoke up. "Tima…are you having a good time?"

Tima smiled. "Yes. This is the best date I've ever been on. Thank you for taking me out."

Atem fidgeted a little and reached into his pocket for something. Tima didn't see what it was but started to get excited. Atem was growing more nervous by the second but he knew he had to do this. He took her hand and said, "Tima…you know I love you…very much…don't you?"

Tima nodded and gave him a loving look. "Of course I do. And I love you very much as well."

Atem took a deep breath, got out of his seat, and got down on one knee in front of Tima. Tima almost fainted dead on the spot for she figured out what was going on. Atem took a small ring box and asked, "Um…Tima…will you marry me?"

Tima saw the ring and gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. It had three diamonds on it and they sparkled in the light. Tima started to cry and said through tears, "Yes…yes, I'll marry you."

Atem smiled, put the ring on her finger and they kissed.

Get ready, for their wedding is next!


	33. Present day wedding

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 33: Present day wedding

Six months had passed and the day of Atem and Tima's wedding had finally arrived. Atem was extremely excited but extremely nervous at the same time. He never really knew how a modern day wedding was like until a while ago. He started to hope that he wouldn't mess up. Yugi, his best man, told him not to worry. "You'll do fine," he told Atem. Atem wasn't so sure but didn't want to let Yugi know.

Just as they getting ready to leave, someone knocked on their door. Wondering who it was, Atem answered it and surprisingly it was Kaiba, dressed in a very nice suit. "Kaiba…what brings you around here? And what's with the suit?" asked Atem.

Kaiba didn't know how to explain him being there at first but then thought of a good answer. "Listen…I just want to let you know that one of these days, I'll defeat you and your 'brother' in a duel." Atem just rolled his eyes. "But…until then…I want to ask if it's OK for us…to be friends."

Kaiba reached out his hand as a sign of friendship. Atem, surprised, took his hand and shook it. "Kaiba…why the change of heart?"

Kaiba smiled. "Tiki. She's changed me a lot. But anyway you need to get to the church. I'll give you a lift."

Atem and Yugi thanked him and they got into Kaiba's limo. They reached the church just in time. Atem thought of something as they were getting out. "Kaiba, you coming?"

Kaiba nodded. "Of course." Pulling him closer, he whispered, "If I didn't, Tiki would give me an earful afterwards."

They laughed at that thought. Realizing, Atem pointed it out. "Kaiba, I never knew you could laugh and smile."

Kaiba smiled. "Thank Tiki for that, too. Her good heart has helped me reclaim that side of me."

---

Finally the hour had come. Atem and Yugi stood by the minister, each getting antsier by the second. Kaiba sat in the second row watching everything from his seat. Each of the bride's maids came down the lane with their escorts; Tea with Duke Devlin, Joey with Mai, Tristan with Serenity, and Ishizu with Marik. Tiki, the Maid of Honor, followed close behind them. After her were Mokuba as the Ring Bearer and Rebecca as the Flower Girl. Mokuba was only part of the wedding because they needed someone to be the ring bearer. Plus, he was short enough.

Finally Tima appeared at the end of the lane. Atem's breath was taken away when he saw her. She was a vision of beauty to him. She had on a beautiful white dress with semi-transparent long sleeves. Her hair was still curly but they were curls from a curling iron. On her head was a clear veil with white flowers along the edge. In her hands was a bouquet of white roses.

Everyone stood up and she started to walk down. As she got closer to her future husband, her eyes started to water but she stopped them before they fell. Finally she made it to Atem's side. She smiled sweetly at him and the minister began the wedding.

The minister placed Tima's hand into Atem's right hand and began. "Do you, Atem, take Tima to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health? And, forsaking all others, will you remain only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you, Tima, take Atem to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health? And, forsaking all others, will you remain only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

The minister nodded. "May I have the ring please?"

Tima gave Rebecca her flowers. Mokuba gave Yugi the ring and he gave them to the minister. He offered a prayer of blessing and gave it to Atem. He placed it on Tima's finger and said, "With this ring I thee wed."

Tiki handed Atem's ring to the minister and he also offered a prayer of blessing. Tima placed it on Atem's finger and said, "With this ring I thee wed."

The ceremony was almost done. The minister gave the closing prayer. When he was done, he asked Atem and Tima to take each other's right hand. He placed his stole over their hands and said, "If anyone has any reason as to why these two should not wed, please speak or forever hold your peace."

Marik thought about saying something. Since he still loved her, he thought that this was his one chance of being with her. But seeing how happy she was, he sadly decided to stay silent. With no one saying anything, the minister said, "By the power vested in me by the city of Domino and country of Japan, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Tima and Atem shared a long and passionate kiss. The minister said, "Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Mutou."

Everyone clapped and some even cheered. Tiki gave Tima back her roses. She took Atem's right arm and they exited the church. At the dinner, everyone was having a grand time in their own little way. Tiki, Kaiba, and Mokuba were talking about their future. Yugi and Tea were talking about their plans for the future. Mai and Joey were talking about their latest duels. Devlin was showing Rebecca how to play Dungeon Dice Monsters. Tristan and Serenity were talking about life. Tima and Atem were just enjoying each other's company.

Just before Atem and Tima's first dance, as best man, Yugi had to say a few words first. He appeared nervous and for good reason. He knew he had to pretend that he and Atem had been brothers their whole lives. He also had to make something up to explain why no one has seen him and that made it difficult. But he still got up for the challenge. "Well…I have to admit; I'm not really prepared for this. So I think I'll just say what's on my mind right now. This is…a little hard; giving away my brother like this. He and I have been…more than brothers ever since we were young. He's looked after me when I was a bully magnet. I cheered him up during his hard times. What was especially hard for me was…when he went to Egypt just before I went to high-school."

Atem raised his eyebrow a little but Tima slightly nudged him as Yugi continued. "My best friend was gone…and during a time when I needed him the most. He had already been through high-school and he could have given me some pointers on how to survive that life style. But we still stayed in touch and he helped me through my times that way. Yet little did I know…that when he'd come back…that he'd bring back with him, what he called…the greatest woman he had ever encountered."

Tima's gaze softened and she started to get a little teary-eyed. Yugi saw this and smiled. "Tima…you have changed my brother in…more ways than I can name. You were a pleasant surprise…for all of us. You became my sister the second I met you. No one can ever replace you. No one can ever replace you either, brother. You're both irreplaceable. Atem…Tima…may you have a long…happy life together."

Everyone applauded when Yugi sat back down. Tima was on the verge of tears as she hugged him. "That was so sweet of you, Yugi," she said. She then added softly, "And good job at covering for us." Yugi sweatdropped but hugged her back.

Finally, Atem and Tima started their first dance. They danced to one of their favorite love songs. Both of them held each other close and treasured every second of their dance. In the middle of it, Atem stopped for a moment and hugged his bride. Tima smiled and held his gently.

Through out the song, all the other couples were watching them and getting a little lovey-dovey themselves. Tea had her arms around Yugi. Kaiba's arms were around Tiki's waist. Joey and Mai were getting a little rowdy. Tristan and Serenity were holding each other. Even Mokuba and Rebecca were holding hands.

The only one not enjoying the scene was Marik. He was extremely jealous of Atem for having the woman he loved. But he remembered what Tima said to him that night; "…if I met you before Ai…in either this era or my previous one…my heart would belong to you." He grabbed the locket Tima gave him and continued to watch the newly married couple dance with a great deal of sadness.

When they finished, they kissed again and everyone clapped. After their dance, everyone else did a few dances themselves. Taking the opportunity, Marik went up and asked to dance with Tima. Atem figured that Marik still loved her but let him anyway. As they danced, Marik said, "I'm happy for you. But, at the same time…I can't help but be jealous."

Tima smiled. "I know. But you'll find someone better."

Marik didn't want someone better; he wanted her. But he knew he could never have her. He also knew that he couldn't say that he wanted her on this day. So he just hugged her tightly and kissed her neck. With that, he left saying sadly, "See you around…Ai."

When Marik was gone, Tima touched her neck where he kissed her. Atem went up to Tima and said, "Where does he get the nerve, kissing you like that at our wedding?"

Tima smiled. "At least he didn't kiss me on the lips."

Atem agreed. "What did he tell you, anyway?"

Tima sighed. Se knew that he would probably get upset if she told him everything that Marik said so she just said, "He said…he was happy for me."

After all the dances, all her female friends got behind her to catch the bouquet. Once everyone was behind her, Tima threw the bouquet over her head toward them. The person who caught it was Tiki. Knowing the tradition, she blushed deeply, looked at Kaiba who was also blushing, smiled, and waved at him with a sly smile on her face.

Tima turned around and saw Tiki holding the bouquet and also burst out laughing. She then went to her and said, "Does this mean you and him will have a party when you go home?" Tiki blushed even deeper and playfully swatted Tima, who was giggling at her best friend's reaction.

Finally it was time of the newly weds to leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii. Atem and Tima left for their two-week long trip with everyone throwing rice at them.

Their story is not over yet. See what I mean next time!


	34. Tima’s pregnant again!

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 34: Tima's pregnant again!

A few weeks had gone by since Atem and Tima returned to Japan from their honeymoon and they decided to continue living with their aibous. Yet they knew that they would be moving on. Yugi was talking about proposing to Tea. Tiki had a feeling that Kaiba would propose to her soon. Once they moved on with their lives, Atem and Tima resolved to keep running the Game Shop. But little did they know that they wouldn't be running it alone.

One day Tima and Tiki were setting up shop when Tima suddenly felt very sick. She had to stop and sit down because her stomach hurt her very badly. Tiki went to get her a drink of water when Tima felt a sudden but familiar urge. She raced upstairs and just barely made it to the bathroom to throw up.

When she got back down a few minutes later, she saw Tiki standing there with the drink looking worried. "Tima, are you OK?"

Tima groaned and shook her head as she downed the drink. "No…but I do recognize this type of sickness from my days as queen. I felt like this for about a week and the doctor said that I was…pregnant."

Tiki's eyes grew wide. "You think…you're…"

Tima shrugged. "I don't know but I think so. There's only one way to find out. Will you go and buy me a pregnancy test?"

Tiki nodded and left for the store. Twenty minutes later, she returned to find Tima gone again. Waiting a little while, Tima came back down from throwing up again. Feeling pretty bad, she murmured, "You got it?"

Tiki tossed her a small paper bag. Tima caught it and went back upstairs. Her friend followed her and waited outside the bathroom door. Five minutes later, Tima emerged from the bathroom in a complete daze. She didn't even look at Tiki and walked off toward her bedroom where she closed the door. Tiki went inside and found the test on the counter. She looked at it, nodded, and smiled. "It's positive all right."

---

Later that day, Yugi and Atem returned from their day of hanging out. When they entered, they found Tiki waiting for them. "I have something to tell you guys. It's about Tima."

Atem asked, "What about Tima? Is she alright?"

Tiki gave him her honest answer. "Well…yes and no." Seeing their confused expressions, she knew she had to explain it a bit more. "You see, she's been throwing up all day. But she's not sick. She's…something else."

Yugi didn't understand what his sister was telling him at all. "What are you talking about, Tiki? Just tell us straight out."

"What she's trying to say is…I'm pregnant," called a voice from the stairs. They all looked and saw Tima coming down, holding her stomach and looking very pale. From the expression in her eyes, Tiki realized that she threw up again. Tima looked at the surprised boys and smiled. "Yes you heard me; I'm pregnant. I did a test earlier and confirmed it."

Atem almost fainted dead on the spot. Yugi held him as he staggered. Tiki and Tima laughed at Atem's reaction.

---

That night, Atem and Tima were laying down on their bed talking about their child. Tima brought up an important subject. "What shall name our baby?"

Atem thought for a bit and thought of a name. "If it's a boy, let's name after the name you gave me; Yami."

Tima thought that over for a second and nodded. "That sounds good."

Atem smiled. "Now what if it's a girl?"

Tima giggled. "I actually already took care of that. I want to name her after a beautiful flower in USA called magnolia."

Atem smiled. "That's very pretty. That settles names. By the way, when do you think he or she was…?" he asked with a sly smile on his face.

Tima blushed. "Probably during that first night of our honeymoon."

They chuckled and kissed. Soon they knew that they would have another night like that ahead of them.

Find out about their child next chapter!


	35. Losing a child…to a friend

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Based on an idea from Ygosmstp.

Chapter 35: Losing a child…to a friend

The day had arrived. Tima's baby was born not two minutes ago. Everyone was there to witness the occasion. But, at that moment, everyone was outside the door because she and Atem wanted to be alone. It took at least two hours but now Magnolia was introduced to the world.

Atem was excited to see and hold his kid for the first time. Tima was just glad it was over. She just lying back in her bed listening to her little girl cry as the nurses cleaned and dressed her child. She was panting but had on the biggest smile. Finally she got to hold her daughter. Atem looked over shoulder and noticed, "She's got my eye color."

Tima looked and, sure enough, she had red eyes, which was unusual for a newborn. She said, "You're right. And she's got a combination of our hairs."

Atem laughed. Magnolia had brown hair like Tima but had red bangs like Atem's tips. They were admiring their new daughter when the nurse came to them and said, "We need to get her measurements."

Tima nodded and handed the nurse Magnolia. She put her in the baby bed and wheeled her out the room. When they were done, Atem smiled and said, "You did it."

Tima just nodded. "That went much easier than last time."

Atem raised his eyebrow. "Why?"

Tima gave him a sarcastic look. "Ai, back then they didn't have medicine to dull the pain of child birth. Last time, I did it with no help at all! And besides, last time, I gave birth to twins!"

Atem cringed. "And here I thought this looked painful. That sounds horrible."

Tima sighed. "You don't own the half of it."

A nurse who happened to be hanging around, writing down a few things, and listening said, "You had twins before? Where are they now? Are they excited about having a baby sister?"

Atem had to pause to think of how to respond to that. He knew he couldn't say that they had them in a past life. The nurse would think he was nuts. But Tima spoke up. "We had them when we were still dating in Egypt. We gave them up for adoption because we still had school to deal with. We don't know where they are now."

Atem looked at her with his eyebrow raised and she motioned for him to answer. Getting the message, he said, "Yeah, I was really surprised I heard that she was pregnant. We were in college and wouldn't be able to care for them." The nurse nodded and left. Getting an idea to make it sound better and not seeing that she was gone, Atem rubbed his temple and murmured, "I tell ya; one party and we went overboard."

Tima heard this and smacked his head. Holding his head, Atem hissed, "What did you do that for?"

Tima crossed her arms and said, "Saying that went too far. Besides, she's gone."

Atem would have said something if everyone had been let in and came charging in. Everyone went up to see them and started chatting up a storm. Tima was glad to see all of them but noticed someone was missing. "Guys, where's Marik?"

Kaiba said, "He's not coming. When we told him where we going and why, he stormed off."

Tima knew why he did that and so did Atem. He quietly asked everyone, "Can Tima and I talk alone?"

Everyone nodded and left quite quickly. Atem turned to Tima and asked, "Why did you invite him?"

Tima looked outside her window. "He's my friend."

"He also loves you."

"I know that. He wouldn't do anything, though. He's not like that."

---

She was wrong, though. So was everyone else. Marik was in the hospital as well but he wasn't anywhere near her room. He was watching at the maternity window. He kept looking around, trying to find Tima's baby. Finally she rolled in front and center. Marik smiled and, seeing the nurse looking at him, pointed at Magnolia.

The nurse smiled and brought Magnolia out. "Hello. Are you the father?"

Marik was too busy looking at Magnolia to answer. The nurse asked, "Sir? Are you all right?"

Mari snapped back to reality and said, "Sorry. No, I'm not the father. I'm the mother's brother. Can I hold her?"

The nurse, who was a rookie and very naïve, said, "Sure!" and gave her to him. Marik smiled at Magnolia's hair and eyes. Just then, the nurse was called in and left them out in the hall alone. As he was looking at the baby, something snapped in Marik's mind. Without even thinking, he started to walk down the hall toward the exit.

---

Back in her room, Tima was chatting with Serenity and Mai when two nurses came in, including the nurse that left Marik with Magnolia. Seeing them, Yugi asked, "Oh, can we see Magnolia?"

The new nurse stiffened as the experienced nurse said, "We have a problem."

Atem asked, "What type of problem?"

Tima was starting to freak. "Where's my baby?"

The newbie looked ready to cry as she murmured, "She's gone."

Tiki said, "Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

The head nurse said, "She's been kidnapped."

Everyone yelled, "WHAT?"

The young nurse started saying over and over again, "It's my fault."

The head nurse said, "That's right. You're fired." The new nurse ran out of the room while Tima was trying to go after her. She would have gotten to her, too, if Atem and Kaiba hadn't been holding her back. The head nurse continued, "Ma'am, keep calm."

Tima glared at her. "Keep calm? My daughter is gone and you're telling me to "keep calm"? I'm not going to keep calm! Not until my daughter is back in my arms!"

Kaiba kept holding her back as Atem went to the nurse. "Who kidnapped Magnolia?"

The head nurse said, "The new nurse said that he was a tan man with sandy hair. He said that he was the mother's brother."

Everyone froze when they heard the description. They immediately knew who it was. Atem said through growls, "Tima's an only child."

Tima, who was stunned when she realized who kidnapped her daughter, looked ready to faint. Finally she did. Atem and Yugi revived her and she burst into tears and kept repeating, "Why, Marik?"

---

A few hours later, Tima and Atem were back home with a police officer. They had already given him Marik's description and he said, "Sir, ma'am, we have to contact the Egyptian police and they'll look for him and your daughter and—"

Just then, the phone rang. Atem answered it. "Hello. …You! You have some nerve to call here! …No you will NOT talk to her! …But—fine."

He tossed the phone to Tima. Looking confused, she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Tima," said a familiar voice.

Tima gasped at the sound of Marik's voice. "Why are you calling?"

"To apologize."

"Nothing you say can make up for what you did."

"I know that."

"Then give her back."

"I can't." With that, he hung up.

Tima hesitated and then handed the phone to Atem. "He hung up."

Atem sighed. "Listen, you need to contact the Egyptian police as soon as you can."

The police officer nodded and left. Atem was fuming when he noticed Tima looking very dejected. "Tima, are you alright?"

Tima shook her head. Atem sat down next to her, took her hand, and said, "We'll get Magnolia back. I promise you."

Tima sighed. "It's not just that. Why did Marik kidnapped our child? He's not like that."

Atem hugged her as she started to cry again. "Apparently he is."

---

Three months later, the police gave up. They could not find Marik or Magnolia. Tima fell into a deep depression during those months. Finally she came out of it and got pregnant again after Atem gave her a comfort session. But this time she didn't tell Marik. She didn't want to give him another chance at taking her child again.

---

Back in Egypt, Marik was busy taking care of his "daughter." He didn't even have to worry about getting caught either. He was living back in the Pharaoh's tomb which was somehow rebuilt. Surprisingly, there were still a few supplies from when he was a baby. He didn't get use to all the responsibilities for some time but his guilt and his sister kept him going.

---

Everyone thought the worse was over. It wasn't. Something even worse was going to happen, where an old enemy would returns and Atem's life would hang on a balance.

What's "the worse" that I'm talking about? Find out next time!


	36. Malik’s revenge

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh or the first Inuyasha movie. I just own the new characters. About Inuyasha, I watched a scene and thought that it would be interesting to use in my story.

Chapter 36: Malik's revenge

About six years passed since Marik took Tima's firstborn and Tima and Atem were having a wonderful life with their new children, a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son. Jemima was quite a handful but a wonderful daughter nonetheless. She reminded them of their daughter Myrrh in many ways and that helped them love her even more. She was a little red-head with big brown eyes. She was hyper all the time and was a person who loved life.

Noah, on the other hand, was an even bigger handful, since he was younger and had a lot more energy than his sister. He had black hair and blue eyes. He did enjoy playing with his older sister but preferred to have someone read him a story more than anything else. His biggest habit was being rude to Kaiba, despite the fact that they were sort of related. No sort of punishment could break him of that habit. Such a habit originated from his past life. When his parents realized who he was, they were determined to make him happy and let him have a better life than his last. (1)

As for their friends, they were all enjoying a wonderful life themselves. Yugi and Tea had a five-year-old brunette son, Yami. However, they were divorced because of Tea being extremely unfaithful. Joey and Mai were the first ones to get married and had six-and-a-half-year-old blond twins, Shizuka and Jounouchi. Tristan and Serenity were married and were trying to have a kid, with no such luck yet. Tiki and Kaiba were enjoying a wonderful life together as a married couple and as parents to their five-year-old daughter Kisara, with another on the way. Ryou and Rose moved away to England to find a different life style than that of their friends'. Mokuba and Rebecca were a loving couple just as they were in Ancient Egypt. They were now in college and were talking about marriage. Everyone thought their troubles were over. But…they were wrong.

---

One day Tima woke up in Atem's arms. She kissed his eye and woke him up. "Good morning," she whispered.

Atem was about to say good morning to her when Jemima barged into the room and jumped up on their bed screaming, "It's play day! It's play day! It's play day! It's play day!"

Tima laughed, grabbed Jemima, and started to tickle her. Her daughter shrieked with laughter as Atem joined in. Their fun was short-lived as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Jemima said and raced out the door.

Tima was panting but smiling. "I wonder…if I was…like her…when I was…her age."

Atem laughed a little, got out of bed, and started to get dressed. Tima joined him after catching her breath.

---

Jemima raced toward the door and shouted, "WHO IS IT?"

Through the door, she heard Tiki laugh and answer, "Jemima, it's your Aunt Tiki. I'm here to take you, Noah, and Kisara to the park."

"YAY!" Jemima screamed and opened the door quickly. Once it was open, Kisara jumped at her and they remained on the floor laughing their heads off. Kisara was a cute little five-year-old with light blond hair and crystal-blue eyes. Not surprisingly, she looked a lot like Kisara from Ancient Egypt. (2)

Tiki shook her head and came in, closing the door behind her. She heard Tima come downstairs with Noah and said to her jokingly, "Is Jemima usually like this or is she behaving?"

The friends laughed and picked up their daughters. They whined but Tima got them quiet by saying, "One more whine and no play date."

Immediately, Jemima and Kisara closed their mouths and looked extremely innocent. Noah giggled at his sister's actions. Tiki tried not to laugh as she set Kisara down. "Sure you don't want to come with us, Tima? It'll be fun and it's such a beautiful day."

Tima shook her head. "Sorry, I have a lot of things I need to do today. But first…" she looked at her children, "…I need to feed these two."

"Frosted Cheerios! Frosted Cheerios!" Jemima said quite loudly.

Tima rubbed her ear and said, "Sure sweetie but not too much."

Jemima nodded, jumped down from her Mother's arms, and ran to her seat. Noah smiled and joined his sister. Kisara followed her friend and they all looked eager and ready for their food. Tima smiled and said to Tiki, "Can Kisara join her?"

Tiki nodded. "Sure. She doesn't get this sort of stuff at home very often."

As she was helping Tima get breakfast ready, Tiki asked, "By the way, how's Noah? Is he better than he…used to be?"

Tima slightly smiled, for she knew what Tiki was talking about. "I'm only sorry his past life didn't have the type of lifestyle he has now." She looked at her son lovingly and he smiled at her. "He's much better than before."

---

A half hour later, Tiki, Jemima, Noah, and Kisara were on their way to the park. Atem was opening the Game Shop and Tima was getting ready to go shopping for groceries. Just then she got a stinging pain on the back of her neck. She rubbed below her hairline but tried to ignore the pain. She got a little worried because stinging pain on her neck sometimes meant for her that something bad was going to happen. Yet she knew that that was impossible. "Let's see, Pegasus is retired, Marik is cleansed from evil, Malik is in the Shadow Realm for all eternity (thankfully), Dartz is cured, and Bakura and Yima are dead. There's no danger around," she said to herself.

When she got to the market, she started to get everything on the list but felt very uneasy. The whole time she felt like she was being watched. But when she would turn around, there was no one there. Finally she was convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her and continued shopping. Even so, she still couldn't shake the feeling.

Little did she know her feelings were correct. In the shadows, always close to her, there was someone watching her. But it wasn't an average mugger or admirer. This person had a grudge against her entire family and was determined to finish them off. "First I'll take care of the Pharaoh and then the Queen will simple to put away!"

He step out of the shadows enough for his face to be seen. People passing by were mesmerized by his evil glare and by his glowing third eye on his forehead. Malik had returned from the Shadow Realm. Apparently he somehow found the exit Tima found during the final battle of the Battle City Finals and used it to escape.

Unfortunately to him, he no longer had the Millennium Rod to help him. But he still had a little Shadow Power left which he planned to use for one purpose and one purpose only. "I'll use the Queen…to KILL the Pharaoh!" he said to himself.

---

On the way home, Tima kept looking behind her shoulder because her feeling of being watched intensified. Sure enough, Malik was always at least five steps behind her in the shadows. Finally, just two minutes away from the Game Shop, he attacked. He punched and kicked her repeatedly until she was lying on the floor barely moving. Once she was unconscious, he transported himself into her mind and waited for the right moment.

Atem sensed something was wrong and went outside to see what was going on. There he found Tima on the ground bleeding and moaning. He scoped her up gently, went inside, and laid her down on the coach. Once there, he wrapped up her wounds and covered her with a blanket.

Tima looked and sounded like she was suffering from nightmares. "Atem…" she whispered.

Atem took her hand and squeezed it slightly. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he told his wife.

Tima was saying something but was talking under her breath. Atem had to move his ear to her lips so he could hear her. "He's back…M-Malik…" After that, she fell asleep.

At that time, Tiki returned with the children. When she saw Tima in her condition, she shooed them off to Jemima's room before they could see her. When she got near Atem, he stood up and growled, "Malik…he's going to pay for what he did!"

With that, he raced out the door. "Wait, where are you going?" Tiki called out to him.

"To find Malik and teach him a lesson! Stay with Tima and the kids! I'll be back soon!" Atem called over his shoulder.

Tiki wasn't sure what to do so she just sat in front of Tima and started to wipe a wet wash-cloth against her forehead. Tima moaned quietly and Tiki said softly, "Tima? Is there something I can get for you?"

Tima moaned again. "Water…" Tiki got up and went to the kitchen to fix her friend a glass. Back on the couch, Tima sat up and held her head in pain. "Ugh…my head hurts. I feel so sick…"

Inside her mind, Malik was laughing at the pain his prisoner was in. "And to think…she doesn't even know I'm here! Now then, let's have a little…fun!"

He closed his eyes, brought his hand sideways in front on his face and his third eye glowed brighter than before. At that moment, Tima got his third eye on her forehead and her eyes became glazed over and just as evil as his were. She slowly got up, with her back still facing the door way. Just then Tiki returned with the glass of water. "Tima? Should you be getting up?"

Tima didn't answer, just turned around. Tiki saw the look in her eyes and the third eye and dropped the glass. "Oh no!" she said to herself and started to back away.

Tima walked over to Tiki and punched her across the face so hard that she hit the doorway and was knocked out.

---

Meanwhile, Atem was returning to check on Tima when he saw her walk toward him with her head down. He ran to her and held her, not noticing the third eye. "Tima, you're alright! Don't worry…everything'll be all right. Malik won't hurt you anymore."

Tima responded very weakly, "Atem…get away."

Atem didn't react fast enough before she kneed him hard in the stomach. He held his stomach painfully after having the wind knocked out of him. "Tima…" he said, shocked. That's when she lifted her head and he noticed the third eye. 'Oh no! That's Malik's eye!'

Not wanting to hurt her, Atem turned and ran. Tima remained close behind him, scratching his back and kicking his legs. Malik said through her, "How does it feel, Pharaoh? To be beat up by the love of your life?"

"Malik, release her!" Atem shouted. Malik refused and continued to use Tima to beat him up. Finally Atem reached a dead-end alley. Turning around, he received several shadow needles in his chest and his face. With his eyes blurring from the pain, he saw a gun appear in Tima's hands from shadow power. She took it and aimed right at his heart.

Malik laughed from inside Tima and was about to deliver the final blow when he heard something behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around to see what was going on. With him distracted, Tima was able to speak to Atem. "Atem…Malik is…inside me. He won't stop…until he…kills you. Please…run away."

Atem growled and pulled out a needle out of his shoulder. "Enough! I refuse to run away while you're still in danger! I'm not leaving…not without you!"

Seeing nothing, Malik turned around, closed his eyes again, and regained control. Tima's voice disappeared from her lips and she started to squeeze the trigger. Even though, her eyes were watering up. Struggling, she tried to turn the gun away from him. Inside her mind she was screaming, 'Atem…no! No! No!'

Everything after this point seemed to happen in slow motion. Malik made Tima squeeze the trigger. Tima screamed as the bullet was going toward him, 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

Atem closed his eyes and whispered in sorrow, "Tima…" Thankfully, Tima moved the gun enough to not hit his heart. But she didn't move it enough; the bullet still hit him, including a major organ, and he collapsed.

Tima came through and saw him. "Atem…ATEM!" she screamed. When she did that, the third eye shattered and Malik was destroyed, never to return. The gun evaporated into shadow but the bullet on the ground stayed for some reason. Tima ran toward Atem and hugged him. Unknown to her, a transparent hand picked up the bullet. "Atem! Atem! Wake up! Open your eyes! Atem, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…" She started to cry into his head.

"It's amazing," said a familiar voice in front of them. Tima looked up with teary eyes and saw the ghost of her long-lost sister. "Yima…" she said.

Yima looked down at the bullet in slight amazement. "You and I truly are sisters. You're walking down a path that's very similar to mine. Because of an evil inside Bakura and I, we were both killed. Now, thanks to an evil inside you, you killed the one person you love."

She held out the cast-out bullet toward her little sister. "Now…take this and run. Others have heard the gunshot and will come to help him. If they see you, they'll immediately begin to suspect you."

Tima refused to take the bullet or even let go of Atem. She was too confused to even look at her sister. "I…I can't leave Atem…"

Yima had enough and yelled, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOT ATEM!" That hit Tima like a slap in the face. Yima continued, "Once he wakes up, I doubt he'll want to stay with the one who almost killed him! Besides, how do you know this event will not happen again? Take my advice for once and run away in order to keep him from getting hurt again!"

Tima considered her options, kissed Atem one more time, stood up, took the bullet from her sister, and ran as fast as she could go. When Tima was out of sight, Yima looked at Atem in sadness. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. But know this…she will never harm you again." With that, she disappeared.

Noah is the reincarnation of…well, Noah!

(2) Kisara is the reincarnation of…well, Kisara!

Will Atem survive and will Tima come back? Find out next time!


	37. Lost and confused

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh or the first Inuyasha movie. I just own the new characters. Again, the Inuyasha thing is another scene I saw that I thought was really touching.

Chapter 37: Lost and confused

Others had found Atem and called the paramedics. He was alive but barely. He was treated for massive blood loss from a gunshot wound and a pierced lung. Because it was a through-and-through shot, they weren't able to find the bullet inside him.

Yugi and Tiki were contacted and they met each other at the hospital with their family. Tiki had a huge bruise on her face from Tima punching her. Kaiba wanted to track down whoever gave that to her but she stopped him, not wanting him to know the truth. "Later. We have to see if Atem is alright."

An hour passed since they arrived. Atem was in surgery with the doctors trying to give him back the blood he needed and to repair his failing lung. Finally he was wheeled into the ICU. Everyone wanted to see him but the doctor stopped them. "Family only," he told them.

Sighing, Yugi, Tiki, Jemima, and Noah went inside his room. Kaiba remained in the hall, watching over Kisara and Yami. Once inside, Jemima raced to her father's side. Noah tried to follow her but Yugi kept him back. Jemima wanted to touch him but Tiki stopped her. Seeing her shake her head, Jemima understood and just looked at her father.

Atem was unconscious. He was very pale from the loss of blood. He was hooked up to a breathing machine and to a heart monitor. Unable to take it, Jemima turned away and cried in Tiki's arms. Noah looked at his father and broke down in Yugi's arms. Tiki hugged Jemima and looked at Yugi holding Noah, not knowing what to do. Atem was probably on the verge of death and Tima was nowhere to be found.

---

A long ways away, Tima was walking down an alleyway. She was in a complete daze over what happened. Rain started to fall but she didn't even notice. In her hands was the bullet that Yima gave her. Looking at it, she lost control and threw it as far away from her as she possibly could. She then started to scratch herself in order for the pain to make the situation go away.

Unfortunately, the pain wasn't enough. With her arms stinging, she hugged herself and cried bitterly. Suddenly she heard a voice she knew well in her head. 'Tima?'

"Atem? Atem, is that you?"

Atem was speaking through his mind. In his mind, he was lying down in a white room all alone. 'Tima? Where are you?'

Tima sat down in the rain in deep sorrow and didn't answer his question. "How's your wound? Are you alright?"

'I'm fine, don't worry about me. What about you? Where are you?'

"I…I don't know…"

Atem laughed. 'Ran away, did ya?'

"No I didn't! I just…" Tima stopped. She suddenly recalled all the times she hurt Atem in the past; yelling at him, doubting his love, calling him a demon, and shooting him.

'What?' Atem asked.

Tima shook her head. "Never mind. Maybe I WAS running away."

In his mind, Atem opened his eyes. Sitting up, he saw Tima standing in front of him. 'Hey…you're right here.'

Tima entered her mind and was now standing in the room with Atem. 'Maybe. But I hurt you…because of my weakness. I should have been able to stop Malik…but I succumbed to his evil. I don't think I should return to your side.'

Atem got up, still in a lot of pain. Tima started toward him. 'What are you doing? You shouldn't move! You'll make your injury worse!'

Atem just smiled, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a hug. Tima didn't know how to react. He simply said, 'Can't you see I need you? I can't go on without you. Besides, it's not your fault…it's Malik's. And I promise you…he will never harm you again.'

Tima, for the first time, fully understood the depth of his feelings for her. Here he was, having just been shot and was probably dying, and he was worried about HER. She started to cry in his chest. "Thank you," she said out loud.

She opened her eyes to find her back in the alley. Still feeling Atem's arms around her, she smiled and looked up at the sky, allowing the rain to renew her. She stood there for a few minutes and then decided to go back to where she belonged. But, as she started to run, she heard Yima behind her asking, "Where do you think you're going?"

Tima turned around and faced the ghost of her sister. "I'm going home to my family."

Yima crossed her arms. "Have you completely lost it? Atem will kill you…if he's not already dead. Besides, this way you can never hurt him again…or your children."

Tima was surprised that Yima even knew that she had children. "How did you know about Jemima and Noah?"

Yima slightly smiled. "I'm their guardian angel. It's my way of making up for everything I did to you in the past."

Stopping for a minute, she remembered the good times when she and her little sister enjoyed each other. Then her thoughts shifted to after she started seeing Bakura and how she used to treat Tima. Shaking the images from her head, she put her hand on Tima's shoulder. "But anyway, I really think you should stay away…for their sake."

Tima brushed her sister's hand off her shoulder. "Yima, they'll suffer even more if they don't know where I am. Besides…he needs me."

Yima scoffed. "Oh yeah? How do you know that?"

Tima looked at her sister sadly. "That's right…you don't even know what true love is. Bakura treated so badly, you've forgot what it's really like. To answer your question, we met in a dream a few minutes ago and…he told me himself that he needs me." With that, she turned around and ran off.

Yima stayed where she was for a few minutes, reflecting on what Tima just told her. 'She's right; I don't remember what love is. But it's too late…to change anything.'

She smiled sadly and said to herself, "Have a long, happy life Tima…may it be better than the last."

---

A while later, Tima arrived at the hospital soaked and completely out of breath. She was out of breath because she ran all the way over there. She raced in and got the number of Atem's room. Once there, the same doctor tried to stop her but she was ready. "I'm his wife. Now move."

Hearing this, he let her in. Once inside, Jemima and Noah ran to her, crying their eyes out. Tima hugged them and tried to get them to calm down. Yugi and Tiki were just relieved that she was alright. "Tima, where have you been?" Yugi asked.

Tiki nodded and added, "We were so worried about you. And why are you all wet?"

Tima didn't answer. Holding Noah tightly and setting Jemima next to her father, she sat down in the chair next to the bed and held Atem's hand. Feeling tears forming in her eyes, she kissed his hand. His hand twitched and squeezed hers. She gasped. "Atem?"

Looking up, she saw him smile and he opened his eyes. She gasped and laid her head on his hand. "Oh Atem…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He whispered, "It's not your fault."

Not understanding what they were talking about, Jemima placed her hand on top of her parents'. Noah didn't understand anymore than his sister but he didn't want to be left out. He reached over and put his little hand on top of his sister's.

Tima then turned to Tiki and apologized to her as well. Tiki waved it off. "It's alright. This is nothing. I'm just lucky I got off with a bruise and nothing else."

Tima smiled and continued to hold Atem's hand and Noah.

Two more chapters left!


	38. Comfort and surprises

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters.

Chapter 38: Comfort and surprises

That night, Tima, Jemima, and Noah decided to spend the night with Atem. Atem was out of ICU that night because of his amazingly fast reaction to treatment so they were able to stay. Tima thought that maybe the gods gave Atem a tiny bit of Shadow Power and that was helping him recover, if just a little bit. Even if she was wrong, she said a little thank you prayer. Tiki went out, got their necessities for the night, and left for the night with Kaiba and Kisara. Yugi and Yami had left a while ago. Tima let Jemima and Noah sleep in the spare bed next to Atem and she slept on a chair with a blanket around her.

Later that night Tima woke up hearing crying. She looked and saw Jemima crying in her sleep. She woke her up and held her daughter. "Shh…it's OK…everything's alright."

Noah woke up as well, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What's wrong with Big Sister?" he asked.

Tima shook her head. "I don't know. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Jemima looked into her mother's eyes and choked out. "What if…he'll come back?"

Tima was confused at first. "Who, sweetheart?"

Jemima sucked in a sob. "The man who…hurt Daddy. What if he'll come back…and hurt Daddy again?"

Noah agreed and grabbed Tima's arm with a scared look in his eyes. "Or worse…hurt you?" he added.

Tima held Jemima close as she continued to cry and put her arm around Noah. She knew she couldn't tell them the whole truth so she decided to tell them half of it. "He won't come back. The police found him and…killed him. He won't come back…ever again."

Jemima slightly smiled and wiped her eyes. Noah also settled down. Jemima then asked, "Can you sing me a song, Mommy?"

Noah nodded. "Can you sing us our favorite?"

Tima was surprised that he asked for that song. "I thought you said you only wanted me to sing that song on birthdays and holidays."

Noah smiled and hugged his mother. "I want to hear now."

Tima smiled and started to sing their favorite lullaby. In the middle of the song, Atem opened up his eyes and saw her holding their children while singing. He continued to watch them as Tima's voice filled the room.

When she finished, Tima looked at them and saw that they were asleep. Kissing their foreheads gently, she set them down on the bed and tucked them in. Jemima snuggled up to her Dark Magician Girl doll and continued to sleep. Noah squeezed his Blue Eyes White Dragon toy and continued to sleep as well. Tima smiled, watched her children for a while, kissed Atem on the cheek, and went to back to sleep herself.

---

The next day, she left because someone had to watch the shop that day. Atem and Yugi, who arrived that the morning, were the ones who made her go. At first, she didn't want to leave. But Atem said, "I'll be fine. Besides…we need to be able to pay the hospital bill."

Yugi nodded and added, "Also, don't worry about the children. I'll watch over them."

Tima nodded and said to Yugi, "All right…but drop them off at Tiki's in the evening. I asked her to watch over them for a few days."

When she finally arrived home, she was startled to see customers already coming in and out. Getting a little spooked, she raced inside and got the surprise of the lifetime. There behind the counter helping a customer at the moment was…Marik. She continued to stare at him with wide eyes as the customer left. Looking up, Marik saw Tima standing there and smiled. "Hi."

Tima snapped back to reality and glared at him. She still hadn't forgiven him for taking her firstborn. "Marik, what are you doing here?" she growled.

Marik kept smiling. "What's it look like? I'm helping out. With Atem in the hospital, I figured you'd need all the help you could get."

Tima continued growling. "Get out. Get out!"

Marik shook his head. "No. You need all the help you can get today."

Tima kept glaring daggers at him. "I don't need help. But you might if you don't leave right this instance."

Marik sighed, obviously expecting this from her. "Tima…if you want me to leave…I will. But I need to show you something first."

Tima sighed sharply and nodded once. He smiled sadly and went into the other room to get something. Tima waited impatiently while bathing in her anger. Marik came back out and she gasped at who he brought out. He was leading a six-year-old girl who had brown hair with red bangs. She had red eyes like Atem's. Tima looked ready to cry when Marik said while smiling sadly, "Tima…meet Aziza."

Aziza looked at Tima with innocent eyes, not know that she was her mother. "Hi. What's your name?"

Tima was too stunned to say anything. Marik had to ask if she was alright for her to snap back to reality. She hissed, "Marik, can I talk to you alone?"

Marik nodded and said to Aziza, "Wait in the living room, okay, sweetie?"

Aziza nodded and ran into the other room. Marik turned to Tima and was about to say something when she slapped him across the face. He closed his eyes in sorrow and sighed. "I guess I had that coming."

Tima had tears going down her face. "You think? What are you doing here? Have you come for my other children as well?"

Moving faster than she could react, Marik grabbed her into a tight hug. Tima struggled for him to get her go but he held on tighter. Finally she gave up and let her arms hang limp. Sighing, Marik said, "Can't you even pretend to hug me?"

Tima said sharply, "No!"

Marik let her go and she crossed her arms, still glaring at him. He then said, "Tima, I am so sorry that I took Aziza—"

"Magnolia," Tima snapped. Seeing Marik's confused look, she said, "Her name is Magnolia. Atem and I named her…before YOU took her!"

Marik ran his hand through his hair and sighed again. "I didn't know. If I had known that you named her 'Magnolia' I would have called her that."

Tima sucked in a sob and said, "Why did you take her? She's my child!"

Marik said, "To remember you." Tima stopped and looked at him in surprise. He added, "That's not the real reason. There really is no real reason for why I did what I did. My need for you clouded my vision. It's almost as if my dark side had returned. Before I knew it…I was back in Egypt…with your baby in my arms."

He then covered his face with his hands and Tima thought she heard a sob coming from him. He removed his hands and there were tears going down his face. He then said, "Believe me…I hate myself everyday for what I've done. But I can't change what happened."

Tima struggled to keep her tears in but was failing. "I know that…but I can't help hating you. I missed out on my first child's life. You stole that from me. I'm sorry; I can never forgive you for that."

Marik nodded and wiped the tears off his face. "I understand. But, for now, can Aziza and I stay for a while?"

Tima sighed deeply and nodded. Just then, Aziza came in and saw the tears on their face. "Are you OK, Daddy?"

Marik nodded, wiped the tears away, and patted her head. "I'm OK, kid. Tima and I just had a long discussion."

Aziza then asked Tima, "Can we stay?"

Tima's lips quivered but she nodded. Seeing her about to cry, Aziza went up to her and hugged her. Marik asked what she was doing. Aziza smiled and said, "Auntie Ishizu says hugs make people feel good. Do you feel good?"

Tima nodded and hugged her back. "Yes, thank you. Now you and I are going to play."

Aziza smiled but then asked, "What about Daddy?"

Tima looked at Marik with a glint of evil in her eyes. "Your _father_…is going to watch the shop…all by himself."

Marik shuddered at the look she was giving him but nodded. He continued to work throughout the morning while Tima watched over Aziza. When lunch came, Tima invited him into her kitchen and started cooking their lunch. As he was waiting and drawing with Aziza, he thought of something. "By the way, how are Jemima and Noah holding up? With their Father in the hospital and all."

Tima sighed. "They're taking it pretty hard. Jemima's is pretending to be strong for her brother but I can tell how much she's suffering. Noah's probably the most shaken up out of all of us. I told them last night that the man who hurt Ai would never come back but…I can tell that they're still very frightened."

Marik nodded. "By the way, any idea who shot Atem?"

Tima looked at Aziza and said, "Aziza, can you get me some hand towels from the upstairs closet?"

Aziza nodded and ran out. Marik raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why did you ask her to do that? There are hand towels in the cupboard right below me."

Tima turned away in sorrow. "I didn't want her to hear this. Yes…I do know who shot Ai. Me."

Marik's eyes grew wide. "You? Why?"

Tima closed her eyes, ashamed. "You remember your dark side that we banished to the Shadow Realm all those years ago? Well, he came back…took over me…and…made me shoot Ai."

Marik felt responsible since it was HIS dark side that did all the damage. "Tima, I am so sorry. If I had never created him—"

Tima looked at him with her eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about?"

Marik looked away in shame. "Well…I created him so…I feel responsible…" Surprisingly, he heard her laughing. Looking at her, he noticed that Tima was covering her mouth to try to hide her laughing. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, not getting the joke.

"Marik, you didn't create him. He was in existence during the time Atem and I were ruling over Egypt. In fact, he kidnapped and almost killed me. I guess, after his death, his anger and hatred anchored him here. After wandering around all those years, he found you. He was probably attracted to your anger and besides, you do sort of look like him. You're not to blame here, Marik. Don't even think about blaming yourself for a minute."

Marik smiled, feeling reassured. Just then, Aziza came in with a bunch of hand towels and handed them to Tima. Suddenly, the phone rang and Tima answered it. "Hello, Game Shop. …Oh hi! How are you? …I'm getting by, thanks. …The doctor said it's going to be a while until Ai's fully recovered. But I think he should be getting out in a few weeks. …Hey, guess what? Marik's here with Aziza. …Sure, hang on." She handed him the phone and said, "Your sister."

Marik slightly shuddered and said uneasily into the phone, "Um…hi Ishizu." He then had to hold the phone away from his ear because Ishizu was yelling at him on the other end. Tima was surprised that she was yelling at him and stopped to watch. Aziza stopped drawing and watched with big, innocent eyes.

Marik scowled and said into the phone, "Look, Ishizu, I had to come! I was worried about her! …I am not! …Well, for starters, unlike you, I was caring enough to actually do something! …No, flowers are tacky and take too long! A visit is more personal! It shows how much you really care! …Because I didn't have time to! …I'll be home as soon as Atem is out of the hospital! No sooner! …I'm her father! I had to take her! …Ishizu, we're not getting to this again! …Yeah, bye!"

He hung up and saw Tima looking at him with her eyebrow raised in a playful way. He laughed uneasily. "Um…I, uh…didn't tell her or Odion where I was going when I left and now…I guess they're really mad at me."

Tima laughed. "Wow. I never knew she could yell like that."

Marik silently agreed. Then he saw Aziza pouting. He asked, "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

Aziza continued pouting as she said in an angry voice, "You didn't let me talk to Auntie Ishizu. That was mean."

Tima and Marik shared a laugh as Tima served their lunch, which was just a simple soup. Then she thought of something. "What did you mean when you said you'd be home when Ai gets out?"

Marik smiled. "I'm not going to leave you here all alone. Ra knows you need at least a little support."

Tima smiled and sat down next to Aziza. They ended up hanging out together all day, working the shop and having a little fun here and there.

---

That night, she called Atem at the hospital and told him that she was sleeping at home tonight, but that she would be there in the morning.

When she hung up the phone, she noticed that Aziza, holding her pink blanket, was yawning and looking very tired. Smiling, she carried Aziza up to Jemima's room and tucked her in. She fell asleep immediately. Tima watched her for a while and then, feeling tears welling up, kissed the little girl's cheek. Unable to take it anymore, she left quickly and quietly.

When she closed the door, she struggled to keep her tears in. She made her way to the living room and just stood there in the dark, trying hard to keep her tears in. Marik snuck up behind her and hugged her gently, making her jump. When she asked what he was doing, he simply whispered, "You're trembling."

"No I'm not," Tima said. She knew that was a lie; she was trembling.

Marik slightly smiled, squeezed her tighter, and rested his head on her shoulder. "Please don't lie to me. You're trembling quite a bit. Are you cold or…scared?"

Tima finally broke down and let her bottled tears fall. "You're right. I AM afraid. I'm afraid of being alone, of hurting my love ones again…I'm afraid of everything right now. But…it's mainly…Aziza. I've missed out on her whole life…and I couldn't bear to think about that. I just—"

She didn't have the chance to finish her thought because Marik turned her around and hugged her tightly. She suddenly held him tight and started crying like her heart was breaking. He continued to hold her, waiting for her to settle down. When she did, he asked, "Tima…I'm sure you're getting old of this but…why can't I be the one for you?"

Tima rested her head on his shoulder and didn't answer. Marik sighed and started to stroke her head. "Tima…I remember what you said at your wedding; that I'd find someone better. I don't want better…I want you. I will always love you, Tima. Nothing will ever change that. That's probably why I took your child. I would do anything to make up for it. I am probably cursed to love you forever. Such a curse…I am willing to bear. All I really want is to have you return my love. Will that ever happen?"

Tima still didn't answer so Marik looked at her face. Her eyes were closed in sadness and she looked like she was about to cry again. Figuring she wouldn't stop him this time, he kissed her deeply. She didn't resist but kept thinking about Atem the whole time. A few more tears fell and she slightly whimpered.

Hearing her whimpers, Marik ended the kiss and left saying, "I'll be bunking on the living room couch tonight."

Tima didn't moved when he left. Getting ready for bed, Marik heard her on the phone again. He slightly smiled, then took a long look at himself in the bathroom mirror. Here he was, all alone with a married woman in the house. He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "What's the matter with you, Marik?" he asked himself. "Stop thinking dirty thoughts. She's married, for Ra sake. Besides, you've done enough to her."

He shook his head and went out to the living room where the fold out bed was already set up. Surprisingly, the fold out bed was put back and there were two sleeping bags on the floor, one bigger than the other. Tima was waiting for him in a nightgown. As he continued to stare in surprise, she slightly smiled. "I talked to Atem a few minutes ago and told him everything that happened. He wants to kill you for what you did…past and present…but I told him how you helped me and that settled him down…a little. Also I need you to sleep near me. It'll help me get over my fear…of being alone."

Marik smiled but then thought about something. "Hold on. What about the kids?"

Tima shook her head as she got into the big sleeping bag. "They're spending that night at Tiki's. I asked her and Kaiba to watch over them for a few days. Now let's go to bed. I'm tired. But understand…nothing more than holding hands is to happen. You are to stay in your own sleeping bag…it that understood?"

Marik nodded but still groaned at the thought of not being able to do anything. Tima slightly laughed and patted the sleeping bag next to her. He got in and held her hand. He then said, "I'll hold your hand until you want me to let go."

Tima nodded and turned toward him. "I'm sorry…for being such a wimp that you have to do this. I'm usually not like this. I—"

Marik put his finger on her lips, silencing her. "Nonsense. This is a dream come true for me. I'm more than happy to do this for you."

Tima smiled and was about to fall asleep when Aziza came in with her blanket. Tima saw her and asked, "What's wrong, little one?"

Aziza said, "I'm scared. Can I sleep with you?"

Tima smiled and opened her sleeping bag. "Sure. This was made for two people so we'll both be very comfy."

Aziza grinned and joined Tima in her sleeping bag. Both facing him, they fell asleep almost immediately. Marik watched them for a while until he turned over and looked at the ceiling. For a while, he just lay there quietly, wondering about how things would be now that Tima met her daughter after many years. 'Now what? Will Tima and I be friends…like now? Or…will she hate forever?' Still wondering, he dozed off.

---

In a dream, Tima met with Atem, troubled. "Ai…I'm don't know what to do. Marik still loves me and I see him as just a friend. But…I'm afraid that I'll take the love that he's offering me…just because I'm feeling so alone and miserable…and because of…what I did. What should I do?"

Atem smiled and held her. "Don't be upset. Just…be yourself…and don't give in. I will always hate Marik for taking Magnolia but…he's seems sorry." Tima smiled and nodded and they kissed.

---

When Tima woke up the next morning, Marik wasn't in his sleeping bag and Aziza wasn't next to him. Looking at his sleeping bag, there was a note on his pillow. She picked it up and read; "Tima, I'm sorry I had to leave as soon as I did but I know about you meeting Atem in a dream last night. You talk in your sleep. When I woke up, I thought a lot of things over and reached a decision; even if I can't have you, I will continue to bear the pain of loving you for as long as my heart can take it. Also I am very sorry for stealing your daughter from you but I promise you this; she will always be loved and I will do everything in my power to make up for my sin. Marik."

She closed her eyes sadly and held the letter to her heart, which was already starting to heal for the first time in a long time.

One more chapter left!


	39. Epilogue

Tima and Atem

By: Tima, Yami's wife

I don't own YuGiOh. I just own the new characters. Except Merina, who belongs to my best friend Dark Mage of the Sea.

This is the last chapter to my story. Enjoy this last chapter! Thanks for cheering me on during the hard times!

Chapter 38: Epilogue

Atem was released from the hospital two weeks later once the hospital was such that he was alright. He still has the bullet-shaped scar and the operation scar on his chest to this day. He told the police that he got shot while trying to protect his family from a robber. Tima then took the gun from the robber and shot him when he went after their children. He then took off. Atem took off after him but collapsed from his injuries. The robber got away and probably died somewhere. He laughed afterwards when the police believed him and started looking for a pretend robber.

Atem and Tima continued to run the Game Shop with the help of Jemima and Noah. They ended up having two more children; a brunette girl Mana (reincarnation of their friend Mana), and a blond boy Adam. At school, Jemima found out that she was really good at playing soccer. She grew up to be a professional soccer player. Noah became a computer programmer. Mana became a magician's assistant, working her way up to going solo. Adam opened up his own karate studio.

---

Tea is still a famous dancer and singer but also became known as a bed-hopping tramp. Yugi works at a toy company, coming up new and weird toys for the market, and found a girl named Merina. Yami grew up to run a local bakery.

---

Joey and Mai had another set of twins; two twin brunette girls named Miho and Mika. Joey became a famous fighter. Mai inherited her parent's fortune and became a world-famous duelist. Jounouchi started his own comedy show, which ran successful for many years. Shizuka became a painter. Miho and Mika became a famous dancing team.

---

Tristan and Serenity finally had a couple of kids; a brown-haired boy Joey (for Tristan's best friend and Serenity's brother) and a red-head girl Mai (for Serenity's best friend). Tristan also became a fighter. Serenity became an actress. Mai became a voice-over for anime shows. Joey joined a professional baseball team.

---

Duke Devlin kept making his Dungeon Dice Monsters game better and better. At this point, it is second most popular game next to Duel Monsters. He found his love in a worker of his named Miho Nosaka. He's dating her, now for four years, and thinking of popping the question.

---

Kaiba and Tiki are happily married. They had another daughter, a brunette named Lily. Kaiba gave the company to Mokuba (right after he opened and worked on a Duel Academy until it was very successful for quite a few years) and is now spending the rest of his days with Tiki. Tiki is a stay-at-home-mom, looking after Lily and acting in musicals. Kisara became a model and TV actress. Lily became a free-lance writer.

---

Mokuba and Rebecca are married. Mokuba is running KaibaCorp and making it very successful, despite the fact that he was constantly competing whit his friend Leon. Rebecca became a computer technician, designing new computer security systems.

---

Ryou and Rose enjoy England and their new lives. Ryou became a teacher, teaching Japanese at a university. Rose became a model for an English clothes company. Ryou is single and is in no hurry to find the right woman. Rose has dated quite a bit but still hasn't settled on a particular guy yet.

---

Tima and Marik are semi-close to this day. During that time, they occasionally communicated via letter and Aziza's cell phone. Tima found it very hard but she eventually found it in her to forgive him for taking Aziza. Ishizu continued to work at museums and recovering stolen artifacts. Marik and Odion started teaching kids the art of sword-wielding. Aziza ended up going to Kaiba's Duel Academy and became a top-notch duelist.

---

One day, many years later, Atem and Tima were enjoying watching the sunset. The years had done their toll to them. Tima's brown hair was starting to gray. Atem's hair was starting to get steaks of gray in them. Atem brought Tima closer to him. "Tima?" he asked her.

"Yes, Atem?' she answered as she snuggled closer to her love.

"Thank you."

Tima was confused. "For what?"

Atem smiled and looked her in the eyes. "For bringing us back."

Tima smiled and said, "Don't mention it."

Atem started to bring her closer for a kiss. "No…you don't really understand. Because of your request to Anubis and Osiris…we get to enjoy something we never got to do in Egypt."

"What's that, my love?" Tima whispered.

"Growing old together," Atem answered. They shared a kiss against the red sunset.

_Fin_


End file.
